


Catch Me If You Can

by seasonofthegeek



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien becomes Chat Noir later, Aged-Up Character(s), College AU, DJWifi, Eating Disorders, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gabriel is Evil, Identity Reveal, Ladybug has been around for a few years, Marichat, Parental Abuse, Secret Identity, like super evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-16 06:51:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 60,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10565916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasonofthegeek/pseuds/seasonofthegeek
Summary: Marinete Dupain-Cheng is a college senior who has also been Ladybug for the past four years. Hawk Moth is rising in power and Master Fu decides it is time the Ladybug gets her Black Cat to fight this new foe. Adrien Agreste has a crush on Marinette but tries to distance himself once he becomes Chat Noir to keep his secret, but that doesn't mean that a certain cat hero can't visit his favorite civilian.





	1. Chapter 1

“So you want me to befriend this guy as a civilian and as Ladybug to keep an eye on him?”

“Yes,” Master Fu answered simply. 

Marinette huffed. “And you aren’t going to give me any other information about why I need to do this inconvenient thing?”

“It’s a part of your duty.”

“Again with the duty.” Marinette tossed a hand up and then took a sip of tea. She gave Master Fu a hard look. “This is really important?”

“I wouldn’t request it of you otherwise.” Master Fu handed the young woman a manila folder.

“Usually you just have me protect someone for a set period of time. What’s the difference here?”

“While he may require your protection at times, it is not the main objective of this assignment.”

“And you aren’t going to tell me the main objective?”

Master Fu simply smiled and stirred his tea. Wayzz sat on his master’s shoulder and watched Marinette curiously. She stuck her tongue out at him before opening the folder to take a look at her mark. She studied the picture of the blonde man for a moment before moving on to the information portion. He was gorgeous, that much certain. According to the stats Master Fu had provided, he was enrolled in the same university she was and was on track to graduate in the spring with a concentration in Business Administration. He did look rather familiar but she couldn’t place how she knew him. She found his name.

“Adrien freaking Agreste?! You can’t be serious.”

“Is there a problem?”

“He’s a model. His father is the biggest designer in Paris, one of the biggest in Europe. Gabriel Agreste is like a hero to everyone in my program. You think I can get close to this guy?!”

Master Fu smiled. “I have complete confidence in your abilities.”

“This has nothing to do with being Ladybug. Me, Marinette, I can’t talk to this guy.” Marinette could feel her face heating up.

“Why is that?”

“She thinks he’s cute,” Tikki giggled.

“Tikki!” Marinette flushed. “It’s not just that.”

“Ah,” Master Fu stroked his beard. “Perhaps that will work in your favor.”

“You lost me.”

“You have your assignment, Ladybug. Befriend Adrien at school as Marinette; watch over him as Ladybug. I will contact you when further action needs to be taken.”

“Does this have anything to do with this new Hawk Moth guy who has ben sending the akumas?”

Master Fu smiled at her. “You are much more astute than I give you credit for sometimes. Trust me in this; do as I ask. I will answer all your questions in due time.”

_____________________________

 

“Okay, there he is,” Marinette whispered. She watched Adrien Agreste walk down the steps of the Business and Finance building. He paused to look at his phone.

“You can do this,” Tikki encouraged from her hiding place in Marinette’s purse.

Marinette nodded. “I can do this.” She straightened up and walked over to him. When she was a couple of feet away, her ankle rolled and she barely caught herself with her hands as gravity took over.

“Holy cats, are you okay?” Adrien kneeled down beside her.

Marinette bit down on her lip and fought to hold back the tears stinging her eyes. She was pretty sure she had sprained her wrists but she would not cry. She was Ladybug, damn it! She heard Tikki give a little squeak and she faked a small cough to cover it.

“Does anything hurt?” Adrien now had a hand on her shoulder.

“Uh, my hand or wrist or something…I’ll be okay.” Marinette pressed both hands to the ground to push herself up and cried out when her left wrist gave way. She would have face-planted if not for Adrien’s support.

“Here, let me help you.” With his assistance, she was finally back up on her feet.

“T-thanks. Wow, that was embarrassing.”

Adrien smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m easy to fall for.”

Marinette just stared at him, mouth slightly open. Good grief, he was cute.

“Okay, now I’m embarrassed,” he blushed. “My mouth does this thing where it just says stuff before my brain can catch up.”

She laughed. “I’m sorry! You just caught me off guard.”

He held out his hand. “I’m Adrien.”

Marinette offered her hand but then took it back, cradling her injured wrist. She held it up sheepishly. “Marinette.”

“Well, Marinette, I’m going to walk you to the nurse’s office.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I take great joy in the unnecessary sometimes.”

______________________________

 

“Okay, potential friendship theoretically over. How is it possible you’ve never seen Aladdin?” Adrien gaped at her.

“How is it possible that a twenty-something male is so upset that I haven’t seen a kid’s movie?”

“It’s only the best Disney movie ever!” he exclaimed.

Marinette giggled. “I’m going to have to hear some legitimate reasoning.”

“Okay, so there’s this guy who is kind of a nobody, right? And he sees this girl and falls instantly in love with her—“

“Ridiculous but go on,” Marinette interrupted, fiddling with the ace bandage wrapped around her wrist.

“What’s ridiculous?”

“The whole falling in love at first sight thing.”

“Wow, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I just don’t know if this is going to work out with us.”

“I should have never told you my full name,” she giggled. “Anyway, it’s best to figure out these things sooner rather than later, I suppose.” Marinette sighed dramatically. “Now keep telling me about the greatness of Aladdin.”

Adrien squinted an eye at her for a moment but then continued. “He saves her life and they have a moment and it’s all great and later he finds out she’s a princess so, of course, he’s got no shot with her.”

“Because reasons.”

Adrien nodded. “Royalty and the such. She can only marry a prince, blah blah blah. Anyway, Aladdin goes on this adventure and finds this lamp and Robin Williams is a genie and so he gets three wishes and he wishes to be a prince for his princess.”

“So this movie teaches children to change themselves for other people?”

“Hush,” he admonished. “There’s this big parade and he goes by Prince Ali—“

Marinette snorted and Adrien glared. “Sorry, keep going.”

“So he shows up ready to woo Jasmine, that’s the princess, only to find out she’s not so keen on being married off to some stranger.”

“Makes sense.”

“He decides to try to show her his inner Aladdin while still keeping up the Prince Ali sham. She falls for him all over again and then there’s this evil advisor who mucks up everything.”

“I feel like I just watched it.”

“I know you’re mocking me and I just want you to know that I don’t care.” He took a large gulp of coffee and smirked at her.

They sat in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes as soft jazz music flowed through the speakers in the café. 

“I have to confess, you’re different than I thought you’d be,” Marinette said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re Adrien Agreste, the model. Your father is, like, number one around here with the design students. We study his work in my classes. Isn’t he even delivering the graduation speech in spring?”

Adrien’s face shut down. “Yeah, he is. I didn’t realize you knew of him.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“Apparently.” He pushed a grain of sugar around with the edge of a fingernail.

Marinette could sense the strain settle into the air between them. “I feel like I need to apologize for something but I don’t know what,” Marinette confessed.

“I’m sorry. I’m being childish. Tell me about what you want to do after graduation.” Adrien smiled at her but it wasn’t the smile she had grown accustomed to seeing over the last couple of hours since her fateful fall. It was a beautiful smile, that much was sure, but it wasn’t quite real.

“Adrien, I—“

His phone rang and he shot her an apologetic look before answering. “Hello? Yes sir…no, I’m at a café with a friend…an iced skinny latte…I’ll do an extra half hour…okay, an hour. Right. Goodbye, Father.”

“Well, it seems my free time is up.” His voice was guarded but polite as he stood. “It has been an honor seeing to your wounds and trying to convince you of the greatness that is Aladdin.” He bent down in a half bow and Marinette found herself standing with him, confused.

He held up the empty travel cup. “Thanks again for the coffee.”

“Thanks for catching me when I fell,” she smiled nervously, still trying to find her footing in this strange turn.

Adrien smiled a little. “Maybe I’ll see you around campus sometime before graduation, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” He looked at her for a moment longer and then turned to leave.

“Wait!”

He spun on his heel, face expectant. Something about the look melted Marinette’s heart just a bit. 

“Let me give you my number…in case, you know, you’re ever watching Aladdin again and want to give me a play-by-play.”

“I…sure, that would be really great, Marinette.” He plugged in his access code and handed her his phone. She added her contact information, noting the short list of names, and handed it back with a smile.

“Now we’re friends,” she said.

“Friends,” he echoed.

_______________________________

 

Marinette’s phone buzzed as she was brushing her teeth before bed.

 **Unknown:** So we open on the city of Agrabah…


	2. Chapter 2

“Give me your Miraculous or face the wrath of The Stapler!” the manic woman shrieked. 

“Oh, come on,” Ladybug panted, dodging another over-sized staple as it came hurtling her way. “This is ridiculous!”

“What’s ridiculous is the amount of paperwork I do for these bratty kids!”

“Isn’t it kind of your job?” Ladybug asked, finally recognizing the akumatized woman from the university’s registration office.

“I still deserve some thanks!” The Stapler screamed, shooting off three more giant staples.

Ladybug leapt into the air and caught herself on a light post. “Yeah, join the club.” 

A small crowd of students had gathered in the area to watch the fight. Ladybug huffed, exasperated. No matter how many times she told people to get to safety during a fight, there were still those that refused to see reason and tried to film the whole thing on their cell phones. She spotted her best friend’s phone held high and groaned inwardly.

“Enough of this. Lucky Charm!” A red and black staple remover dropped from the sky. “Well, this is a bit on the nose.”

From her vantage point, Ladybug’s eyes roamed over the akuma, trying to figure out a way to use the staple remover to her advantage. Apparently frustrated with waiting, The Stapler began to shoot the giant staples into the growing crowd of students. They immediately scattered. Ladybug watched in relief as Alya scurried inside with the others. She face-palmed when she saw her best friend tiptoe back out the door within seconds.

A flash of blonde hair in the corner of her eye caught her attention and Ladybug turned to see Adrien heading straight for the fray, oblivious. He was peering down at his phone and she could see a tiny green earbud in his ear.

“Well, crap.”

The Stapler noticed Adrien a split second after she did. She turned on him, staple gun aimed. Ladybug cast out her yo-yo and leapt down in front of Adrien, knocking the giant staple away. Adrien fell backwards in surprise.

“Stay here,” Ladybug commanded. She spun on The Stapler. “We are done, okay? It’s been a long day and I didn’t sleep much and I have a paper to write and I. AM. OVER. IT.”

The outline of a purple butterfly lit up over The Stapler’s face. Ladybug had come to recognize this as Hawk Moth talking to his champion. Although she had only battled the akumas a handful of times, she was absolutely sure of one thing: Hawk Moth was a total douche. 

Taking advantage of the situation, Ladybug jumped behind The Stapler and used the Lucky Charm to snap the thin chain connecting her glasses to her sweater. A dark butterfly floated out. Ladybug gritted her teeth. She hated this part. She swung the yo-yo in the arc Tikki and Master Fu had taught her and missed the butterfly. Growling, she slung her yo-yo again. This time she hit her target. She finished the cleansing process and released a white butterfly to the cheers of the gathering students. She threw the staple remover into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

“W-where am I?” 

Ladybug helped the formerly akumatized woman to her feet. “You were taken over by Hawk Moth. I think it would be best for you to take the rest of the day off. You could use a break.”

The woman still looked confused but another office worker appeared at her side. Ladybug nodded to them and turned to Adrien. He had gotten up and was nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Uh, thanks for saving me.” His cheeks were a light pink. 

“All in a day’s work,” she smiled at him. It was nice to be on the other side of the exchange. “You should be more aware of your surroundings though, Mr.—”

“Agreste,” he offered his hand. “Adrien Agreste.”

“The model?”

He blushed again and nodded. Ladybug was delighted. Adrien looked good in pink.

“Well, Adrien Agreste, I suggest you be more careful. We can’t have anything happening to the most handsome guy on campus.” 

Adrien sputtered for a minute, the pink of his cheeks turning red. “Uh, thanks, Miss, uh, Ladybug.”

Ladybug winked at him and then cast her yo-yo out, swinging away.

____________________________

 

“Okay, girl, what in the world was that?” Alya flopped down on her dorm bed and watched Marinette gather her hair up into a bun.

“What was what?”

“Ladybug flirting hardcore with Adrien Agreste.”

She scoffed, “I was not flirting hardcore.”

Alya raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, I was maybe flirting a little,” Marinette grinned. “Can you blame me though? He’s gorgeous.”

“He’s a little too vanilla for me but I can see the appeal.”

“While we’re at it, why were you hanging around out there like a dope? You could have gotten seriously hurt!”

“You really should be more careful, Alya,” Tikki added from her perch on top of the bookcase.

Alya laughed. “Ladybug would never let anything happen to her number one fan!”

“Alya.”

“It was fine. It always is. I don’t know why you get so nervous.”

“You put too much faith in me. These akumas are new and, sure, they’ve been kind of silly so far but what if they get more serious?” Marinette sat down on her bed heavily. “What if one day I can’t stop them and people get hurt?”

“You look tired.”

Marinette glared at her roommate. “Thanks,” she said dryly.

“You get worked up over stuff when you’re tired is all I’m saying. Why don’t you take a nap or something?” Alya stood, straightening her shirt. “I’ve got class in a few minutes anyway.”

“I have to write a paper. I don’t have time for sleep.”

“You sure had time to text someone late into the night when you should have been sleeping,” Alya winked.

Marinette flushed. “I didn’t realize you noticed.”

“Obviously you’re going to tell me who you were talking to so I’ll just wait right here.” She perched herself on the edge of her desk. 

“I thought you had class?”

“Fine, Mari, keep your secrets. I’ll find out somehow. I always do.” Alya flounced out of the door room dramatically but returned a few seconds later. “Dinner at the Grill with Nino tonight?”

“Seven?”

“See you then!” She disappeared again.

Marinette laughed and rolled her eyes. “She’s impossible.”

“But she’s ours,” Tikki said fondly. 

“Yeah,” Marinette agreed.

_____________________________

 

 **Adrien:** So Ladybug saved my life today from a crazy big staple. No big deal or anything.

Marinette smiled. She could already tell Adrien was a texter. She had stayed up much too late the night before enjoying him texting her his favorite lines from Aladdin as he watched it at home. 

**Marinette:** If it was no big deal, why did you feel the need to text me about it?

 **Adrien:** Am I bothering you? We can talk another time.

 **Marinette:** No! I’m teasing! Tell me about your big adventure.

_____________________________

 

“And here come my two favorite women in the whole world,” Nino crooned from his place at the bar.

“You want me to tell your mom that?” Alya threatened.

Nino’s face became serious. “Please don’t.”

Marinette hugged Nino and settled herself on the bar stool to his right. “How are you?”

“I spent four hours this afternoon working on a mix for my Music Theory class and then my computer crashed so I’m ready to drink away the pain.”

The two women hummed in agreement. They spent the next couple of hours eating food that was bad for them, Alya and Nino drinking a smidge too much alcohol, and all three of them discussing the endless possibilities of life after university. 

“Oh man, Mari, look who just walked in,” Alya giggled, her face flushed with alcohol. Nino was wrapping a lock of her hair around his finger with a silly grin on his face.

Adrien stood right inside the door, looking around self-consciously. 

“Duddde, I know that dude from my Finance class,” Nino slurred. “Dude!” He waved his arms wildly. 

Adrien’s face split into relief at seeing a familiar person. He made his way over to the bar. “Hey, it’s Nino, right?”

“Yeah, man! Sit with us, have a drink!”

Adrien looked over and noticed Marinette. His smiled widened. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Hey!”

“Hey yourself,” she grinned back. “Want to join us? I have to warn you, Alya and Nino have crossed over into make-out territory. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

The pair looked back to see Alya attempting to climb into Nino’s lap as he swayed on the bar stool.

“Yikes. So they’re a couple?”

“Only when drunk,” Marinette shrugged. “They’re too stubborn when they’re sober.”

“Ah.” He gestured to her soda. “Designated driver?” 

“In a way, I suppose. No car, but I try to make sure they both get back to the dorms safe and alone.”

“Or with each other?”

“Only when I’m feeling mischievous,” she admitted. “Any more life or death calls today?”

Adrien laughed, taking over the empty stool on Marinette’s right. “Just the one was plenty.”

“And a save by Ladybug. She doesn’t do that for just anyone.”

He blinked at her. “I think she kind of does it for everyone.”

“Here I am, trying to pump you up and you just steamroll right over it.”

He laughed again and Marinette let herself sink into the sound. “Sorry. It was awesome though. She was awesome.” He got a dreamy look in his eyes.

“Oh my word, you have a crush on Ladybug!” Marinette accused.

“What?! No, I don’t! That’s…that’s ridiculous,” but even as he said it, Adrien’s cheeks tinged pink.

Marinette rolled her eyes but couldn’t squash the giddy feeling that rose in her chest. “What are you doing here anyway? Did you come to meet someone?”

“Wow. You just get right to the point, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“You really like saying my whole name.”

“I do,” he admitted. “Does that bother you?”

“I think I can let it slide. You still haven’t answered my question.”

He sighed. “I guess I was just lonely. I thought maybe I could come here and just be around other people.” His face was blank but his tone was slightly sad.

How lonely did he have to be to want to sit in a bar by himself just to be around people? 

“Good thing we were here then,” she smiled encouragingly. 

He smiled back at her. “Good thing.”

“Mari, Mari, quite contrary,” Alya sang, slinking over. “Me and Nino are going to go have,” she motioned for Marinette to lean forward. Sighing, Marinette obliged. “SEX!” Alya whisper screamed. “Don’t tell anybody, okay?”

“Okay. Remember to use protection.”

“Don’t worry. He has ALL the condoms.”

“Right.”

Nino grabbed Alya around the waist and she giggled. They stumbled away. 

“Make good choices!” Marinette called.

“They do that often, huh?” Adrien watched the pair disappear through the door.

“At least a couple of times a month. I’ve tried to talk them into dating but they’re both too hard-headed for their own good.” She laughed. “Someday they’ll figure out they are in love with each other and I will be there to tell them ‘I told you so’.”

“You’re a good friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Don’t I know it.”

_____________________________

 

 **Marinette:** I’m glad you showed up tonight. It was nice getting to see you again.

Warmth rushed through him as Adrien looked down at his phone. Marinette was pretty awesome. And she had texted him first this time!

 **Adrien:** Thanks for keeping me company. :)

 **Marinette:** If Alya and Nino aren’t too hungover, we had talked about hanging out tomorrow. Just in the dorm, nothing too fancy. We usually watch movies and talk or whatever. You’re welcome to join us.

Adrien looked at his schedule hopefully. He had a photo shoot for most of the day. Damn it. 

**Adrien:** I can’t do tomorrow but rain check?

 **Marinette:** Too bad. Next time for sure :)


	3. Chapter 3

“So I take it things are going well?” Master Fu pressed down hard on Marinette’s upper back, massaging away a knot of tension. 

“I think so. He’s a really nice guy. I still don’t get why you want me to keep an eye on him though.” She grimaced as he began to work on a rather tight spot between her shoulder blades.

“All will be revealed in time. Tell me about the akuma attack.”

“It was like the others, I guess. A woman from the registration office got fed up and suddenly got powers and was bent on wrecking havoc. I caught the butterfly and did the whole thing.”

“And Mr. Agreste was in the area at the time?”

“Yeah,” Marinette replied. “Well, actually he showed up in the middle of it all, now that I think about it. I had to save him from being stapled to the ground.”

“Interesting.” Master Fu sat back on his knees. “I think I’m done for now. You’re carrying too much tension in your shoulders.”

Marinette sat up and smoothed the wrinkles from her shirt. “So I’m just like every other senior trying to graduate on time.”

“Be that as it may.”

“I know, I know. I’ll take better care of myself.”

_______________________________

 

“I can’t believe you let me sleep with Nino again. You’re the worst friend evvvvvver,” Alya moaned.

“You knew as soon as you both took those first shots it was a possibility,” Marinette replied, looping thread through a button hole.

“You can’t blame the victim, Marinette.”

Marinette eyed her friend skeptically. “You are not a victim, Alya Cesaire. Nino did not take advantage of you and you know it.”

Alya sighed. “I know. Grrrrr, I can’t believe I did it again! I was so mad when I woke up in his bed this morning.”

Marinette secured the button to the jacket she was working on and kept her mouth shut. 

“I know what you’re doing,” Alya said.

Marinette reached for another button.

“You think if you stay quiet long enough I will start to talk about my feelings and all that crap but it’s not going to happen, Missy.”

Marinette threaded her needle and moved the new button into place.

“Okay, fine,” Alya threw her hands up in the air and fell back onto her bed. “If I’m being super honest with myself, there is a very slight chance that I may possibly have a small amount of feelings for Nino.”

Marinette smiled and snipped the hanging string. She nodded at Tikki who fished out the last button she needed from the big bag on the desk. 

“Um, hello? I just confessed something and I know you heard me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just waiting on you to tell me something I didn’t already know,” Marinette smirked. Tikki giggled.

“Smug Marinette is a bitch.”

“So you have feelings for Nino. I think you guys are perfect for each other.”

“We so aren’t! Do you know what he wants to do with his life, Mari? He wants to be a DJ! A DJ, for crying out loud. That’s not a real thing.”

“I’m pretty sure DJs are real. Who do you think plays the music when we go to clubs?”

Alya sighed, “That’s not what I mean. It’s like saying you’re going to be a rock star or a famous Olympian or something. It’s not realistic.”

“You always say you’re going to be an award-winning journalist.”

“Um, hello? I totally will be.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “So just to clarify, you like Nino. You’ve had sex with Nino multiple times at this point. But you don’t want to pursue a relationship with him because his future career path isn’t realistic to you?”

“Now you’re making me sound like the bitch,” Alya mumbled. “And it’s not just that.”

“Do you have fun with him?”

“Of course I do.”

“Does he make you happy?”

“The majority of the time, yeah.”

“Are you attracted to him?”

“I could ride that man all night long and still not get enough,” she grinned.

Marinette stuck out her tongue. “Blegh. Not a mental image I wanted actually.”

“I assume the point you are trying to make is that I should just suck it up and date him already.”

“Yes!”

“No.”

“I give up,” Marinette sighed.

________________________

 

Five akuma attacks had happened in the last week and somehow Adrien Agreste had been around for every single one of them.

“Adrien!” Ladybug yelled. “Watch out!” She lashed out her yo-yo, wrapping it around his wrist to pull him out of the way before a car landed in the space he had previously inhabited. 

“Holy cats,” he breathed heavily.

“Run! Now!” she yelled at him.

He got to his feet quickly but then stood staring at her with big mesmerized green eyes.

“Adrien, run!”

The man shook himself and finally turned tail and headed into the nearest building. 

Ladybug huffed and continued the battle.

___________________________

 

“It’s like he’s a magnet or something!” Marinette raved. “He is there every single time!”

Master Fu watched her pace back and forth. “And have the akumas changed in any way?”

She huffed. “Other than becoming a hell of a lot more frequent? No. They all want my Miraculous, of course. I have to be honest that I don’t get that. If Hawk Moth can create all these akumas with the Butterfly Miraculous, what would he need the Ladybug for?”

“I’m sure he has his reasons. Has Mr. Agreste continued to show up in the middle of each battle?”

“Yes! I don’t know what his deal is…well, actually, we were just sitting there drinking coffee when the one yesterday happened.”

Master Fu stroked his chin thoughtfully. “How long had you been together before the attack?”

“An hour or so. We met up after our 2 o’clock classes.”

“And he never left your sight during that time?”

“No,” Marinette replied slowly. “What’s with the twenty questions?”

“I have a feeling I was mistaken about Mr. Agreste. I don’t think it will be necessary for you to watch out for him any longer.” Master Fu stood up and walked to his door. “I don’t have any further assignments for you at this time. Continue to battle these akumas as they appear and we will work on finding Hawk Moth.”

“Are you kicking me out right now?” Marinette asked incredulous as Master Fu stood by the open door.

“I’m sure you have plenty of school work to get to.”

“I mean, I do but—“

“And I’ve taken up too much of your time already having you befriend Adrien Agreste. You can stop spending time with him now.”

“But I—“

“Have a nice day, Marinette!” Master Fu gently grabbed her elbow and led her out the door, closing it behind her. He listened to her stand there a few moments before he could hear her retreating footfalls down the hall.

“So you no longer suspect the young man of holding the Butterfly Miraculous?” Wayzz questioned.

“I was almost hoping for it. I fear the person who holds it might be a more serious threat than we believed.” Master Fu went to the music box that hid the Miraculous he protected. “I believe it is time to wake the sleeping cat.”

_______________________________

 

“Dude, are you actually hanging out with us tonight?” Nino clapped a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “I feel so honored.” Music pounded all around them.

Adrien laughed. “I couldn’t let you miss me too much. The girls here yet?”

“Nah, they like to take their time.” Nino grabbed two beers from the bar and handed one to Adrien. “So what’s the deal with you and Marinette? You guys seem to be spending a good bit of time together.”

“We’re friends. She’s really great.”

Nino gave Adrien a side-eyed look. “I know she is.”

“How long have you guys been friends?”

Nino took a drag from the bottle. “I’ve known Mari forever. We’ve gone through school together our whole lives. Alya moved here around the first or second year at Françoise Dupont, I can’t remember exactly.”

“That’s really cool you guys have been friends so long.”

Nino nodded noncommittally. 

“And you and Alya aren’t…”

This time Nino chugged the rest of the beer down in one pull. “I don’t know, man. I’m a hundred percent for it but she just doesn’t see me that way, I guess?”

“Don’t you guys hook up, like, all the time?”

“Who hooks up?” Alya asked, sweeping in between them in a flourish.

“No one,” Nino muttered.

Alya eyed him but let it drop. “So, how do we look?” She and Marinette did a little twirl, party dresses swirling around them.

“Amazing.”

“Awesome.”

“We’ll take it,” Marinette smiled.

“Do you want something to drink, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Adrien asked with a toothy grin.

“Not now, thanks. Right now, I want to dance.”

Adrien anchored himself to the bar. “Have fun.”

“Oh no. You’re coming with me.” Marinette grabbed hold of his arm and pulled. He barely budged.

“Mari, I don’t dance. Really.” He especially didn’t dance where there could be cell phone video taken. Gabriel Agreste would most definitely not approve.

“Plllleasssse,” she pleaded, blinking big blue eyes. “Pretty please dance with me!”

“No,” he laughed, looking at anything but her.

“I’ll dance with you, honey,” a man from behind said with a smirk. 

Marinette looked back at him uncertainly. “Um…”

“She’s actually got a partner already.” Adrien stepped up and offered his hand, which Marinette took gratefully. They wormed their way into the crowd and started to dance.

“My hero,” Marinette dramatically fawned and then gave Adrien a beaming smile. He looked around nervously and then they began to move.

________________________

 

“So what’s the deal, are you just going to ignore me all night?” Alya poked a finger at Nino’s chest. He swatted it away.

“Cut that out.”

“What’s going on?”

He rolled his eyes. “Seriously?”

“Um, yeah?”

“I’m just tired of doing this. We’ll hang out tonight, if you loosen up enough, you may end up back at my place, and then in the morning, you’ll be pissed. I’m just over it.”

“Oh.”

“That’s all you’ve got? Oh?”

Alya’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not sure what you want from me.”

Nino studied the club lights bouncing off his shoes. “I want you to decide what you want from me. Are we just friends or are we dating? I can’t do this in between stuff anymore. It’s messing with my head.” He looked up at her through dark eyelashes.

“I don’t know what we are.”

“Well, until you do know, I think I’m going to split.” He moved to walk away.

“Nino, wait,” Alya put a hand on his arm. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. You just have to decide how you want me.” He gently shook off her arm and headed for the exit.

___________________________

 

“That was so much fun!” Marinette squealed into the cool night air. “I love, love, LOVE dancing!” She spun around and lost her footing. Adrien reached out to steady her. She giggled.

“I think that last strawberry daiquiri may have been one too many.”

“I think you may be right, Adri-wadri-kradi.”

“Mmmhmm,” he hummed. He kept his arm wrapped around her as they started to walk back to campus. 

“Hey! Tell me about Aladdin again. Remember when you told me about Aladdin? You like it so much!” She laughed and buried her face in his armpit as they walked.

“That probably doesn’t smell great after dancing,” he warned but she had moved again before he had a chance to get too self-conscious. 

“Do the prince and princess get to kiss in the end? I love it when they get to kiss at the end!”

“Shhhh, stop yelling,” he laughed.

“Oops,” she stage whispered. 

“And yes, they totally get to kiss at the end.”

She gave him a big smile and made a happy humming noise.

Adrien walked them up the steps and through the double doors of Marinette’s dorm. “Do you have your keys?”

“Uh-oh,” she sing-songed.

“Let’s hope Alya came back here when she left. I don’t think she and Nino would enjoy the interruption.”

When they reached her door, Marinette turned sharply. “Adrien, I need you to be my prince and I’ll be your princess, okay?”

“Okay…”

Marinette stood with her eyes closed and lips puckered.

“What are you doing?”

She squinted one eye. “I’m the princess. You have to kiss me goodnight!” She puckered her lips again.

“Ah,” he said, backing up a few steps. “Well, you see, I am but a lowly street urchin tonight so I can’t kiss you, Princess. You’ll just have to wait.”

She stomped a foot as Adrien softly knocked at the door. Alya opened the door, pajamas on and a carton of ice cream in her hand. “You can’t have sex here,” she said, voice flat.

“That’s not…we weren’t…” Adrien stammered, cheeks going pink.

Alya looked over at her best friend who was standing beside Adrien and making smooching sounds. “Drunk Marinette?”

Adrien nodded helplessly.

“Yep, she’s a kisser. I’ll take over, Romeo.” She reached over and pulled Marinette inside the room. “Have a good night, Adrien.” And then Alya shut the door in his face.

________________________________

 

Adrien crept back to his room without incident. It seemed neither his father nor Nathalie had noticed his absence which he was actually thankful for this once. He shed his clothes and stepped under the warm spray of the shower. Maybe he should have kissed Marinette. She was beautiful and fun and genuinely seemed to enjoy his company. He didn’t understand why she kept inviting him out but he was grateful for it. He had never really had many friends before and now he had three that he was regularly seeing. Perhaps it was best to leave things at that. He doubted Sober Marinette would have appreciated him taking advantage of her with a kiss.

When Adrien exited the bathroom, he noticed a small black box sitting on his bed that he was sure hadn’t been there before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And FINALLY, the beginnings of Chat Noir :D


	4. Chapter 4

“What did you call yourself again?” Adrien asked the floating cat creature in front of him.

“Plagg.”

“And you’re a…”

“Kwami.”

“Right.” Adrien scratched the bit of stubble that had gathered on his chin. “So I guess a mental breakdown is possible…” He had opened the box he found on his bed an hour ago and he had yet to believe any of this was real. 

“Listen, Kid, I know you know of Ladybug.”

“Of course!”

“Well, I am going to make you a superhero like her, but less bug and more cat.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good grief, is Fu ever going to actually explain this to anyone before he throws them in head first?” Plagg bit off a large chunk of Provolone cheese. “Eh, it’s no Camembert, but I guess it will do for now.”

“Fu?” Adrien asked. 

“The Guardian. He’s the one who chose you for this power. Well, I got final say but he scouted you out first.”

“Is he an actual human being I can talk to?”

“Oh, la-di-da, humans aren’t the greatest, you know. But yeah, Fu’s human, mostly. I can take you to him tomorrow.” Plagg stretched. “Here’s the deal in a nutshell, Kid. Some bad stuff is coming from this Hawk Moth guy and Ladybug is going to need a partner. You’ve been chosen to be that guy.”

“Me? I mean, are you sure? I’m not…”

“You put on the ring and here I am. If that’s not worthy, I don’t know what is.” Plagg looked around the bedroom. “You have anything else to eat? I’m starving.”

“So how do I become a superhero? Is there a training camp or something?”

Plagg snorted. “Of course not. You just say ‘claws out’ and I’ll transform you.”

Adrien leapt to his feet. “Claws out!”

“Wait! Not yeeeeeeeeeeet!” Plagg came flying at him and was absorbed into the silver ring, turning it black with a bright green paw print at the center. Magic flew down Adrien’s body in a rush. 

“Holy cats,” Adrien awed when he turned to look in the mirror. “This is so freakin’ awesome.”

________________________________

 

Marinette spun on her heel when she heard the sudden yell tear through the air. It was much too late for another akuma; didn’t this Hawk Moth guy sleep? She had sobered up enough to decide that she was very hungry and they had absolutely nothing but half-melted ice cream left in their dorm room. She and Tikki had braved the early morning hours for some munchies. 

Marinette opened the latch on her purse. “Tikki, spo—“

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng! What are you doing out here?!” A figure in a black bodysuit landed a few feet in front of her. The man had a head full of wild blonde hair, two black cat ears on top of his head and a black mask. Alien green cat eyes stared happily back at her and she caught sight of a tail-like belt twitching behind him.

“Do…do I know you?” Marinette asked, keeping a hand on her purse in case she had to transform quickly.

The catman opened his mouth and then closed it. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You can call me…Chat Noir…yeah, I like that. Chat Noir.”

“Did you just decide your name, like, just now?” Marinette saw Tikki poke her head out of the purse and she gently pushed her back out of sight.

“Don’t tell anyone but this is kind of my first night as a superhero,” Chat Noir confessed with a grin.

“A superhero?”

“Yeah, just like Ladybug…at least, that’s what my kwami told me. Oh crap, I’m probably not supposed to say stuff like that in front of you.”

Marinette shook her head, confused. “Wait, how do you know my name?”

“Uh,” Chat Noir scuffed a boot against the pavement. “We have a class together and I recognized you. That’s all.”

“Oh, um, okay. That’s…cool, I guess.” Marinette studied the man, still trying to decide if she should transform for a fight. “So how’s the first night of superheroing going?”

His eyes lit up. “It. Is. Awesome! I mean, I haven’t fought any bad guys or anything but I’ve done a lot of running around and I have this neat baton thing.” He reached behind his back and produced a short silver rod embellished with a green paw print. “It can go really long and break into two pieces and who knows what else!”

“Uh-huh. And you’re working with Ladybug?”

“Yeah! Well, I will be. I haven’t actually met her yet. I mean, I’ve met her as, uh, my other self, but not as this self, not as Chat Noir.”

A bark of laughter stole their attention as a group of guys started across the Quad.

“Well, I should probably be going,” Marinette said, adjusting the shopping bag on her arm. “These snacks won’t eat themselves.”

“I’ll walk you to your dorm.”

“That’s okay. I’m good.” Marinette backed away from him slowly. “I’m just going to run back anyway. My roommate’s waiting on me.”

Chat Noir scratched the back of his neck. “Okay, I mean, it’s probably not the safest out here this late.”

There was another drunken howl from the group of men. Marinette didn’t think they had spotted the two of them yet but she wasn’t in the mood for trouble. 

“You know what? A walk to my dorm would be great.”

Chat Noir beamed at her.

______________________________

 

“I’m sorry. We’re not open yet…oh, Marinette, it’s you,” Master Fu said through his cracked door. 

“Let me in, Fu. I mean it.”

“Yes ma’am,” he grinned as he opened the door wide.

“Did you really give out another Miraculous and not even tell me?!”

“So you’ve met your new partner?”

Marinette threw her hands in the air. “The cat guy? A little heads up would have been nice. He knows me in my civilian life from class!”

“Did you tell him you are Ladybug?”

“Of course not!” Marinette exclaimed.

“Then I don’t see what the problem is.”

She stomped around the room. “The problem is that you should have told me you were bringing someone else on. I’ve been doing this by myself for the last four years! I didn’t even know you were looking for someone else.”

“You’re not being replaced. I found you a partner.”

“I don’t need a partner,” she replied petulantly.

“I think you will find the Black Cat very helpful once he gets into the pace of things.” Master Fu started a pot of tea brewing.

“He called himself Chat Noir. So…he’s really supposed to be my partner?”

________________________

 

“You’re really going to be coming everywhere with me?” Adrien asked surprised.

“I’m supposed to stay with you all the time, Kid. What if there’s an akuma attack? You can’t just come back home first to pick me up,” Plagg yawned. 

“So you’re like my pet? This is so cool. I’ve never had a pet before.”

“I’m not a pet,” Plagg replied dryly.

“Well, I’m going to pretend you are. It will be really nice to always have you with me.”

Plagg eyed the young man thoughtfully. He could tell he was a lonely one almost as soon as he saw him. “Are you ready to go meet the Guardian? We may as well get it over with.”

Adrien nodded happily and held open his jacket pocket. He made sure Plagg was comfortable and had a slice of cheese and headed out the door.

______________________

 

“Ah, Chat Noir, you have just missed Ladybug,” Master Fu said in greeting.

Adrien looked wildly down the hall. “Just now?!”

“Not by five minutes. Come on in.” Fu moved aside and the taller man entered the room.

“So Plagg tells me you’re the one who gave me this.” Adrien held up his right hand to show off the silver ring. Plagg grunted from his pocket but remained hidden.

“Yes, I thought you could serve Ladybug well. Would you like some tea?”

“No, thanks. Why me though?”

Fu looked at Adrien thoughtfully. “Is this not something you want to do?”

“I didn’t say that! I just…I’m nobody special. I’ve never thought of myself as brave or strong…or anything heroic, I guess. Actually, I’m probably the opposite. I don’t know how to be a hero.” Adrien looked down and scuffed his shoe against the floor.

“Ladybug told me the same thing when I chose her four years ago.”

Adrien looked up. “Really?”

“Indeed.”

“But Ladybug is so smart and strong and beautiful and…” Adrien trailed off with a small cough.

Fu’s eyes laughed at him but the old man simply replied, “Yes, she is.”

“How am I supposed to help her?”

“These akuma attacks are happening more frequently. Help Ladybug keep civilians from injury and watch her back.”

“I think I can do that.”

Fu smiled. “I think you can too.”

“So who is Ladybug or is that not something I’m allowed to know?”

“I think it is best for secret identities to stay secret.” Fu’s eyes twinkled. “No one can know you are Chat Noir, not family, not friends. It is necessary for your safety and theirs.”

“Right,” Adrien nodded slowly. “That makes sense, I guess.”

The men talked a while longer until Plagg complained of boredom. Adrien bid Fu good-bye and left.

“Are you still sure of your choice, Master?” Wayzz inquired from his place atop the music box.

“I think those two were made for each other.”

________________________________

 

“Are you going to take a shower at any point today?”

Alya glared at Marinette from her blanket cocoon. 

“What’s wrong with you anyway? You’ve been crappy since I got home last night.” Marinette dropped her messenger bag beside her desk and sat down.

“Nino is stupid,” Alya mumbled, pulling the blanket in closer.

“Care to explain?”

“Last night he told me I have to decide whether he is my friend or boyfriend and he’s not going to see me until I do.”

“So decide.”

Alya huffed.

“Okay, tough love time, Al. Nino is an amazing guy. He’s really good for you. He’s the kind of guy that would completely support you and know exactly when to knock you down a few pegs. You need that kind of guy.”

“You’re stupid too,” Alya muttered.

“Fine. Well, I’m taking my stupid self to get coffee with a very cute guy. Stay here and mope all by yourself.”

“Tell Adrien I said hello.”

___________________________

 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

Marinette turned, almost expecting to see Chat Noir after the night before, but was pleasantly relieved to see Adrien jogging towards her.

“Hi!” he said breathlessly.

“Hi yourself,” she grinned. 

“Sorry I’m late. I was talking with someone and lost track of the time.”

“It’s okay. I just got here myself. I spent the morning in the library researching European design in the early 1800s for a paper.”

“That sounds…boring,” he chuckled, holding open the door to the café for her.

Marinette shrugged. “It’s kind of cool, but I can honestly say I’m glad some of the fashion hasn’t come back.”

“I’m actually surprised to see you out and about already. You were pretty funny last night.” He gave her a wink.

Marinette had a sudden flash of puckering her lips and making kissing sounds while standing outside her dorm room with Adrien the night before. She covered her face with her hands. “Oh no! Please tell me I wasn’t too ridiculous.”

“It was cute.”

“At least I’ve got that going for me then,” she laughed self-deprecatingly.

They reached the counter and Adrien scratched his chin. “Nothing sounds good anymore. We may be drinking too much coffee.”

“Yeah, I think I’m going to go for a pastry and juice today.”

“Go for it. It’s on me.”

“No way. I can pay for my own.”

Adrien chuckled. “I’m not saying you can’t. Just let me be nice.”

Marinette eyed him for a moment. “Fine, fine, Moneybags Agreste. I would like a blueberry scone and a pineapple juice.”

“Interesting combo, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

___________________________

 

“I don’t think I can finish my scone. Do you want the rest?” Marinette offered the thickly glazed pastry to Adrien. 

He eyed it, tempted. “I really shouldn’t.” He took a long drag from his bottled water.

Marinette shrugged and sat it back down. Adrien watched the motions closely. She laughed. “You look like you really want it though.”

“I do,” he admitted.

“Then just eat it.” Marinette broke off a piece and held it up to him. “Open up, Mr. Model.”

Adrien seemed to contemplate it and slowly opened his mouth. Marinette giggled and held up the piece of scone. 

“You are all just sheep!” A voice yelled from the doorway of the café. “If all you are going to do is follow, then get in line!” A tall gray-skinned man shot a set of links out at a group of three students sitting at a table and they were immediately chained together. “I’m Leader and you will all follow me!”

“Shit,” Adrien cursed quietly. “Come on, we need to get you to safety.” He grabbed Marinette and pulled her towards the back of the café.

“My bag! I need to get it!” Marinette tried to pull away. She needed to get somewhere so she could transform. 

“Leave it!”

A length of chain lashed out and grazed Marinette’s shoulder causing her to stumble into Adrien. He steadied her and they ran down the little hallway in the back. The rest of the people in the café were screaming now, the ones not already chained together trying to hide under tables.

Adrien pushed Marinette into the women’s bathroom. “Stay here!”

“What about you?!”

“I’m going to call the police!” He ran back out into the main part of the café. 

 

“Damn it,” Marinette swore.

“Marinette, you have to transform!” Tikki squeaked.

Marinette cast another look, half hoping to see Adrien running back to her. “Tikki, spots on!”

All the tables and chairs had been pushed against the walls and every patron and employee were now chained together in a large group in the middle of the café. Ladybug scanned the prisoners for Adrien and was relieved when she didn’t see him.

“Ladybug!” Chat Noir called happily. “I’m here to help!” He used his baton to sweep the legs out from under Leader.

“Watch out!” Ladybug yelled, seeing Leader shoot a length of chain in Chat Noir’s direction. Suddenly Chat Noir was added to the bound group of prisoners. He pulled at the chains, irritated. How had he gotten here so quick? He had to have been in the café or pretty close by, not that it seemed to matter.

“Here to help my foot,” Ladybug growled, going in for the attack.

“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir whooped and the chains began to rot away. Everyone rushed for the doors while Ladybug kept Leader busy.

“What did you just do?!” Ladybug knocked away a chain with her yo-yo.

“It’s my power thing. Pretty cool, huh?” Chat Noir extended his baton and used it to knock Leader over again. Ladybug quickly grabbed the paperback book that was sticking out of Leader’s pocket and began to rip away the pages. Finally a dark butterfly fluttered out.

“Woah,” Chat Noir commented, watching Ladybug purify the akuma.

BEEP.

Chat Noir looked down at his ring in surprise.

“That means you’ve only got four more minutes until you lose your transformation,” Ladybug commented.

“Oh. Huh. That would have been nice to know before.”

Ladybug couldn’t help but laugh. “Not something your kwami told you about?”

“I think he likes making me guess. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I’m Chat Noir and I am at your service, My Lady.” He bowed deeply but looked up at her with a wink.

“I see.”

BEEP.

“Looks like I better scoot like a cat on a hot tin roof. Until next time!” Chat Noir ran out the door of the café and Ladybug could see him jump to the top of the building across the street. This could get very interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Adrien:** Are you okay? You were gone when I was able to get back to the café.

 **Marinette:** Yeah, sorry, was a little shaken up. You okay?

 **Adrien:** Yeah, it was all over by the time I got back with security.

Alya cleared her throat. “Mr. Model?”

Marinette grinned. “Yeah. He’s just checking up on me after the akuma attack.”

“He’s got it bad for you.”

“Oh, please,” Marinette scoffed. “Do you, uh, you really think so?”

Alya rolled her eyes and grabbed a tube of mascara from the cluttered counter. “It’s pretty obvious, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she mocked.

“He is really great.” Marinette flipped through a magazine on her bed and squeaked.

“What?”

Marinette held up the magazine to show the latest Gabriel ad featuring a serious Adrien in a classic black suit. 

“Okay, I’ll give it to the guy, that’s pretty hot.” Alya rolled a plum lipstick across her lips. “Why don’t you just start dating him already?”

Marinette snorted. “Um, excuse me, Miss I-Stayed-In-Bed-All-Day-Over-Nino, did you say something?”

“I’ll have you know that I am fixing that right now,” Alya smirked, smoothing down her short black dress. 

“Interesting choice for a Sunday night.”

“I’m meeting Nino at the Grill for dinner.”

“And you’ve made your decision?”

Alya smiled. “Nope.”

“Oh, I see. Your plan is to look ridiculously hot and force Nino to make the decision.” Marinette rolled her eyes this time.

“Ding ding ding.”

“That’s manipulative.”

“And?”

“Alya.”

Alya stomped her foot. “Mari, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what I want. This is the best way.”

“This way if it doesn’t work out, you can blame him.”

“Right…damn it, I’m a bitch.”

To her credit, Marinette didn’t reply.

_________________________

 

“So is coffee girl your girlfriend?” Plagg asked around a mouthful of cheese. Adrien had bought a case of Camembert when he found out it was the kwami’s favorite. Plagg was thinking this guy might be his favorite Black Cat yet.

“Marinette? No, we’re just friends.”

Adrien’s phone buzzed and he grabbed at it, hopeful. Plagg noticed his face fall a bit when he saw the caller id. “Hello, Father...yes, I’m home…I remember. I’ll be up and ready by five…classes are going fine but I do have a big exam at the end of the week—oh, I didn’t realize you had scheduled—no, you don’t need to bother Nathalie, I can do it. Yes sir. Bye.”

“Everything all right, Kid?”

Adrien sighed, tossing the phone on his bed. “Yeah, just my dad reminding me about a photo shoot in the morning and a fitting at the end of the week when I’m supposed to take my Economics exam.”

“You stay pretty busy.”

“Yeah,” he frowned. “I guess I won’t be able to hang out with…with friends much this week.”

“I think you meant to say Marinette,” Plagg smirked.

____________________________

 

“Wow, you look amazing,” Nino said in way of greeting.

Alya smiled demurely. “You’re looking pretty good yourself.”

Nino ducked his head. “Same old, same old.” He looked up at her. “So can I take this to mean you’ve decided about us?”

Alya faltered. “Um, can we get a drink before we do this?”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Nino’s voice went flat.

“Look, Nino, I really do like you, I just…”

“Am I not good enough for you or something?”

“That’s not it at all!”

“Then what?”

Alya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not good enough for you, okay?”

“What?!”

Alya took in his flabbergasted expression and huffed. “I’m bitchy, I’m pushy, I’m selfish—“

“You’re smart, you’re beautiful, you’re funny,” Nino interrupted.

They stared at each other for a second.

“I’m not going to make a very good girlfriend,” Alya warned.

“I already knew that,” Nino grinned at her. “But here we are.”

“Here we are,” she echoed.

____________________________________

 

Adrien hadn’t seen Marinette in a week and he was getting antsy. They were originally supposed to meet at the café again earlier today but a shoot ran long and he had to cancel. Between photo shoots, schoolwork, and getting his exam moved up before his fitting, he had no time for anything but quick nighttime patrols around campus. He hadn’t even glimpsed Ladybug since the akuma at the café.

“Just call her,” Plagg suggested.

“I don’t know what to say. It feels weird to tell her I miss her. That’s weird, right?” Adrien paced the length of his windowed wall. “We’re just friends.”

“And I’m just a housecat,” Plagg snarked. 

Adrien checked the time. “It’s too late to call anyway. I don’t want to bother her.” He bounced a bit on his toes.

“Patrol?” Plagg asked, trying to hold in the snicker from watching his anxious kitten.

Adrien grinned gratefully. “Plagg, claws out!”

____________________________

 

Chat Noir did a lap around the campus. It had started to rain, which wasn’t pleasant, but he still didn’t feel like going home. He had already checked out the Bryant-Leonard dormitory on the west side but maybe one more pass through wouldn’t hurt anything.

He lurked in the shadows and counted the windows on the backside of the dormitory. Marinette and Alya’s room light was still on. He edged a little closer, feeling creepy but not able to stop himself. If he could just get a glimpse of Marinette, he would probably feel a lot better.

He yelped in surprise when the blinds flew up. He stumbled backwards and landed on his butt with a thump.

“Chat Noir?!” Marinette exclaimed, pushing open the window. “What are you doing out here?”

“I, uh, I thought I saw something, and I, um, I was checking it out?”

“Uh-huh,” Marinette responded, obviously not convinced. “You really shouldn’t be out there in the rain. You’re going to get sick.”

“It’s not that bad,” Chat Noir argued and then sneezed.

Marinette laughed. “You even sneeze like a kitten!”

“I do not,” he grumbled, wiping at his nose with a clawed hand. 

The sky rumbled and lightening lit up the sky. “Come in here before you get electrocuted.”

Chat Noir eyed Marinette. “Are you inviting me into your dorm?”

“Just get in here already, you silly cat.”

Chat Noir crawled in through the window and was surprised when Marinette was already handing him a towel. “Get dried off,” she commanded and he worked the towel over his body and rubbed it through his hair.

He stood awkwardly between the two beds as Marinette rummaged around in the small fridge across the room. She came back with a bottled water. “Thirsty?”

“Thanks,” Chat Noir said, taking the bottle. “So, uh, where’s A—your roommate?”

“She had a date tonight.” Marinette sat down with her legs crossed on her bed. “You don’t have to stand there, you know. You can sit down.”

“Oh, right.” Chat Noir gracefully dropped where he was to sit on the floor. Marinette watched him thoughtfully. She remembered how awkward she had felt the first few times she interacted with anyone as Ladybug. She had felt so alone but maybe Chat Noir didn’t need to be.

“How’s the superhero thing been going? I saw you at the café the other day.”

“Really? You saw me?!”

“Yeah, you and Ladybug took that guy down. You did some cool thing with the chains and made them dissolve.”

Marinette could make out the slightest bit of pink at the edge of Chat’s black mask. “It was kind of awesome, right?” he asked, self-conscious and proud at the same time.

“It was,” she agreed.

“So, uh, do you go there a lot, the campus café?”

“I have been lately. A friend of mine likes to meet there.” Marinette looked down at the phone on the bed beside her. “We were supposed to meet up today but he cancelled.” She frowned.

“Ah, so is this friend more than a friend?” Chat Noir tried to keep his voice even.

“I guess not.” Marinette looked up slyly. “Chat Noir, are you trying to find out if I’m dating someone?”

Chat Noir coughed. “Uh, no, of course not. I mean, unless that’s information you just give out…”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Okay.”

“Or a girlfriend.”

Chat Noir made a choked sound. “Right, well, I better get going then. Sounds like the storm has let up a bit.” He stood up quickly and handed her the damp towel. “Thanks, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette stared after him as he slid through the window, wondering why the men in her life enjoyed using her full name. 

_______________________

 

“You’re getting better at this,” Ladybug grinned as Chat Noir dodged a beam of light from the latest akuma.

“Thanks, My Lady!”

Ladybug rolled her eyes at his nickname for her. He had continued to use it the last few times she had seen him now. She wanted to be annoyed but found it hard. Something about Chat Noir was undeniably endearing.

They eventually beat down the akuma and finished the job without the use of Cataclysm or Lucky Charm. It had been a nice change of pace.

“Hey, want to talk for a few minutes?” Ladybug asked, nodding to the top of the Design building.

“Yeah, sure.” Chat Noir followed her lead and they found a nice spot on the roof shaded by the roof access tower. 

“You’ve been doing this for a few weeks now. How do you feel?”

“I love it!” Chat Noir gushed. Ladybug adored the way he was so easily excitable. The other night, she had given him a chocolate glazed donut as Marinette and he had literally whooped with delight before devouring it in two massive bites.

“It can be hard to balance with my civilian life sometimes, but there is something so freeing about being in costume and helping people,” he continued.

“Yeah, that never really goes away, the balance thing,” Ladybug said. 

“It’s nice to be able to talk to you about it though. Plagg isn’t exactly comforting sometimes.”

Ladybug laughed. “My kwami, Tikki, told me about him. Sounds like quite the character.”

“He is,” Chat Noir agreed. “But I like having him around. I never got to have pets growing up so it’s a new experience.”

“Is there anyone else you have to talk to?”

“About being Chat Noir? I thought we were supposed to keep it secret.”

“We are, but I told my best friend after a year or so. It was hard doing it alone. I guess I just wanted you to know that I’m here if you need anybody to talk to.” Ladybug bumped her shoulder against his. “We’re partners after all.”

He beamed at her. “Partners,” he agreed.

__________________________

 

“Oh, Marinette, have you met my boyfriend, Nino?” Alya smiled cheekily.

Marinette laughed and stuck out her hand. “Nino, was it? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Nino grinned and pulled her into a hug. “Is Adrien here yet?”

“No, he should be though.” Marinette checked her phone and her shoulders slumped. “Nevermind. Apparently he has some last minute meeting thing with his dad. He says he’s not going to make it now.” 

“That sucks.”

“Sorry, sweets.”

“Well, looks like I’m the lucky guy with two beautiful women on my arm tonight,” Nino crooned.

Marinette sat her purse back down on her desk. “Actually, I think I might just stay in tonight.”

“No way,” Alya said. “Just because Adrien’s not coming doesn’t mean you can’t!”

“It’s fine, really. I should probably study for my ornamentation design exam anyway.”

“Mari.”

“Dude doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

“Please go have a nice time together,” Marinette said. “I’m being silly. Adrien and I are just friends and I let that change in my head. I think I just need to be alone for a little bit though.”

Alya and Nino exchanged glances with each other. “Only if you’re sure.”

“I am.”

____________________________

 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, don’t you know it’s Saturday night? You should be out having fun!” Chat Noir said in greeting as he climbed through the open window.

“You’re one to talk, kitty,” she smiled. “What are you doing slinking around here?”

“Just looking for windows pretty girls may have left open for certain cats,” he winked.

“Maybe I just wanted some fresh air.”

“We could do that.”

“Do what?”

“Get some fresh air.”

Marinette looked startled. “You want us to go out?”

“I could show the city.”

“I’ve lived here my whole life, Chat.”

“Yeah, but you haven’t seen the city the way I have,” he grinned.

“Is that so?”

“Come on, not everyone gets the cat’s eye view.”

“I can’t just climb on top of buildings, you know.”

“But I can.” Chat Noir held a hand out to her. “Do you trust me?”

Marinette looked at the offered clawed hand with apprehension. “I don’t know if I should…”

“Tell me, Princess, when did you last let your heart decide?” he suddenly sang out loudly. 

Marinette snorted in surprise. “What?!”

“Oh, come on! ‘A Whole New World’? You’ve seriously got to watch that movie.”

“What movie?”

Chat Noir shook his head. “Nevermind. Are we going or not?”

Marinette took in Chat Noir’s hopeful expression and outstretched hand. She finally placed her hand in his. “Let’s go.”


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as Chat Noir leapt up with her in his arms, Marinette knew this was going to be a very different experience than being Ladybug. The wind whipped through her hair and chilled her skin. Every time Chat would jump up, Marinette found herself gripping onto him tighter and burying her face in his neck. He smelled like expensive cologne and some kind of cheese she couldn’t place, oddly enough.

He laughed as he ran and the sound reverberated against her. There was something freeing and terrifying about not having her yo-yo with her but she trusted Chat Noir absolutely. It was odd for her to feel so strongly about someone she hardly knew but that was the feeling he evoked in her.

“That’s my family’s bakery,” she pointed as they ran across rooftops. Chat Noir skidded to a halt, cradling her against him securely.

“Can we go?”

Marinette laughed. “It’s not open right now, silly kitty. It’s too late. Besides that, my parents are out of town visiting family in the country.”

“Oh.” His cat ears drooped a little.

“But if you promise to be patient, I may be able to whip something sweet up for us.”

Chat Noir gripped her tighter and jumped to the ground without any warning. Marinette hated the girly shriek the action pulled from her. She disentangled herself from him, irritated. Oblivious, Chat Noir stayed on her heels as she rounded the building and pressed a code into a keypad. A slot opened and a key slid out. She unlocked the door.

“After you, Monsieur Chat,” she curtsied. 

“Many thanks, Lady Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Chat Noir replied as he brushed past her through the door. 

Marinette hadn’t realized she had started holding her breath when she heard Chat say, ‘Lady’. She let it out in a whoosh and locked the door behind her.

“So up there is where we live and then through this door is the bakery. It will probably be better if we just grab a few ingredients and go upstairs.” Marinette led the way into the back of the bakery and started rounding up items. “Do you like chocolate chip cookies? I know they’re simple but—“

“That sounds wonderful,” he grinned. He took the bowl of ingredients from her happily as Marinette puttered around picking up a few more things.

“Right this way, kitty.” She led them up the stairs and used the key again to unlock the living area. 

Once inside, Marinette went to work in the small kitchen, donning a frilly pink apron. Chat Noir hopped up on the counter and watched her, asking what she was doing every once in a while to make sure she knew he was following along. Marinette slid the cookie sheet in the oven and turned to her friend. “And now we wait.” She programmed the timer on her phone so the cookies wouldn’t burn.

“What should we do while we wait?”

“Oh! I can show you my balcony!” Marinette ripped off the apron and tossed it over the counter.

“Aww.”

“You don’t want to go up to the balcony?”

Chat Noir ducked his head. “No, that sounds good. I was just sad you took off your cute little apron.” He looked up at her and winked. 

Marinette laughed and rolled her eyes. “If you like it so much, maybe you should wear it.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” Marinette picked the apron back up and tossed it to him. 

Chat Noir looped the top over his head and tied the back. He held the hem and did a little curtsy. “Now, if only I had a cute hat, I’d be Mrs. Nesbitt.”

“Huh?”

Chat Noir popped himself in the forehead with the heel of his hand. “We have really got to educate you in Disney movies.”

“Fine. We can watch one of your silly movies next time we hang out.” Marinette started up the stairs.

“So there will be a next time?”

“Seeing as how you keep showing up at my dorm window, it seems like a good bet. You can use the door, you know.”

“That’s not romantic at all.”

“What?”

“What?” Chat Noir looked at her innocently and then gazed around the very pink room. “I’m sensing a theme here.”

Marinette eyed him. “I like pink.”

“That’s definitely the theme.”

“Come on, up here.” Marinette climbed the ladder and pushed through the skylight. She held it open as Chat Noir followed her through. 

“Well, this is just cool,” he said, walking over to the railing. “I wish I had a balcony like this.”

“It’s my favorite place.” Marinette sat down on the pink and white striped lounger. “When I’m home, I just like to come out here and sit. Sometimes it feels like no one could find me up here, like I’m in my own little world.” She closed her eyes and leaned back.

“Except me.”

“Hmmm?”

“I could find you up here,” Chat Noir answered, moving away from the railing. “Since I can climb buildings and all.”

“I don’t suppose I mind you, though.” Marinette cracked one eyelid. Chat Noir gave her a big grin. “Come sit with me.” She patted the lounger.

“Is there room?”

“We can squish.”

Chat Noir gingerly sat down on the edge of the lounger and laid back. Marinette curved around him, laying her head against his shoulder. 

“Why are you so tense?” she asked, poking his stiff arm.

“I don’t want to take up too much room.”

Marinette pushed herself up on an elbow. “I can’t figure you out, Chat Noir.”

He looked surprised. “What are you trying to figure out?”

“You flirt with me endlessly, you keep showing up at my dorm, but then I try to get you to lay under the stars with me and you couldn’t be more uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. If I’m making you uncomfortable though, let me know.”

They lay in silence for a few moments until Chat Noir finally spoke. “I’ve never really done anything like this before. And I feel like as Chat, I need to be twice as careful.”

“All we’re doing is looking at stars and baking cookies.”

“You make it sound simple, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“The best things always are.”

________________________

 

Chat Noir jumped in through the window and dropped his transformation. He set the container of the remaining chocolate chip cookies down on his desk.

“Someone’s got a girlfriend,” Plagg sang as he settled down in his nest of Camembert wheels.

“No, I don’t. Marinette’s—“

“You can’t honestly be about to say ‘just a friend’, Kid.”

Adrien frowned. “What am I doing, Plagg? I can’t just go around hitting on girls as a superhero.”

“If that was you hitting on girls, we really need to have a talk.”

“I mean it. Ladybug would probably be really disappointed in me.”

“I wouldn’t worry so much about that.”

“Do you think I should stop seeing her as Chat? Maybe I can see her as Adrien. She doesn’t seem to mind late nights. Of course, if Father found out that I was out late, he wouldn’t be pleased. On the other hand, I’m out whether he knows it or not so why should it matter if I’m out as Chat or out as Adrien?” Adrien opened the container and slipped out a cookie. “Of course, if I’m seen out as Chat, everybody just sees a superhero doing his job. If I’m seen out as Adrien, that’s where things can get dicey.” He bit the cookie in half.

“You think too much.”

“Maybe I should ask Ladybug about it? She’s gorgeous. She has to be dating somebody, right?”

“Sure, Kid, ask Ladybug. That should be really interesting.”

_____________________

 

“Excuse me, but where have you been, young lady?” Alya asked as Marinette closed the door behind her.

Marinette looked up and immediately shielded her eyes. “Too much flesh!”

Nino looked down at his bare chest. “We’ve been to the beach before.”

“It’s different when you’re in bed with my best friend,” Marinette groaned. She kept a hand over her eyes and felt her way over to her bed. She flopped down. 

“Answer the question, Mari. Did Adrien end up meeting you after all?”

“No, I, uh, I just decided to go stay at my house.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good thing I did too with you guys doing the nasty in here apparently!”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “And were you at your house alone?”

“Would you look at the time? I should get going.” Marinette sat back up.

“Wait just a second, missy!” Alya raised herself off the bed, the sheet slipping down.

“Boobs!” Marinette yelled.

Alya shrugged and pulled the sheet back up. “Eh, we’ve all seen them at this point.” Nino laughed and Marinette groaned again. 

“Is this my life now? Is this my punishment for wishing happiness for the two of you?”

“Probably,” Nino shrugged.

______________________________

 

The day’s photo shoot had been a grueling affair and all Adrien wanted to do was fall face first onto his bed for a couple of hours before getting caught up on some schoolwork, so of course his father had requested a meeting as soon as he returned. 

“You wanted to see me, Father?” Adrien entered the large office, tall onyx doors closing behind him.

“Ah, Adrien, yes, have a seat. I’ll be with you in a moment,” Gabriel motioned at the empty chair in front of his desk.

Adrien sat down and waited…and waited…and waited. He pulled his phone out to discreetly check the time. Almost twenty minutes he had been sitting here in silence. His record was an hour and a half so he still had a while to go. The sound of his father’s keystrokes and the rhythmic tick of the clock were the only things to break up the monotony. He just wanted to go to his room. The photo shoot had been long and exhausting and if he never had to wear suspenders again, it would be too soon.

He jumped a little when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Nino: Dude. I know you are busy tonight but we're going to the concert they’re holding in the Quad tonight if you want to join. Mari will be there.

Adrien smiled. A concert sounded like fun. He would get to hang out with Marinette again and Alya and Nino too. He hadn’t been out with them in weeks, no, a full month at this point. He was starting to get his time with Marinette as Chat Noir and his time with her as Adrien confused. That probably wasn’t great.

“Am I interrupting you, Adrien?” Gabriel’s dry voice inquired.

Adrien startled and slipped the phone back in his pocket. “No, sir. Sorry.”

Gabriel eyed him a moment. “I assume the photo shoot went well.”

“I believe so.”

“Nathalie said there were some complications with a pair of pants?”

Adrien held in his grimace. “The pants they had were a 28 and I needed a 30.”

“You’ve worn 28’s before.”

“Maybe it was something about the cut.”

“Whatever the case, I’ve had Nathalie make you an appointment with the dietician for Monday morning. The Summer Show is coming up in two months and we are going to be unveiling men’s pants in sizes 24 and 26. You will be expected to fit into them.”

“Father, I don’t know that I can—“

Gabriel steepled his fingers. “Adrien, you understand how important this show is, do you not?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good boy. That will be all.”

Adrien stood up and left the office. He suddenly felt much too tired to anything more than crawl in his bed and curl up.


	7. Chapter 7

“Chat!” Ladybug screamed as she watched her partner spin off the side of the roof. She lashed out her yo-yo, catching his ankle before he hit the ground.

“All men should die!” the akumatized woman shrieked, another blast almost forcing Chat Noir back off the roof just as Ladybug had steadied him.

“Get down on the ground. She’s just going to keep attacking you up here.”

“I can’t leave you.” Chat Noir planted his feet and pulled out his baton. “I think the akuma’s in her hair thingy. It’s the only thing that doesn’t make sense with the rest of her appearance.”

The woman wore all black except for a pink glittery hair barrette holding back inky hair.

“Okay, new plan, you keep her distracted and I will sneak behind and grab the barrette,” Ladybug decided.

“Can do, My Lady.” Chat Noir faced the akuma. “Hey, sweetheart! Know how to make this cat purr?”

The akumatized woman screamed in fury and fired another blast at Chat Noir. He spun his baton and broke up the force before it pushed him over the edge again.

“You’re such a pretty girl. Why are you so angry?” Chat Noir grimaced at his words but kept up the steady onslaught. He could see the woman growing more incensed with anger, lashing out too quickly, blasts missing him. He saw Ladybug was close enough to touch the woman from behind. “You should really smile more.” The woman reared back to shoot off another blast and Ladybug reached up and plucked the barrette from the woman’s flailing hair and snapped it in half. 

___________________________

 

Ladybug returned to the roof after helping the akuma victim downstairs. Chat Noir was laid out, eyes closed. She gently kicked the bottom of his boot. “Hey, you okay?”

He cracked an eye open. “Yeah, just a bit winded is all.”

Ladybug settled herself down beside him. “You didn’t seem quite on your game today.”

“Sorry about that.”

“I didn’t mean you needed to apologize. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Chat Noir sighed but forced a smile. “I’m fine, My Lady. Knowing you care gives me all the energy I need.”

Ladybug wasn’t convinced but let it drop.

______________________

 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” Adrien called out.

Marinette spun around with a smile at the sound of Chat Noir’s voice and was surprised to find Adrien. “Adrien? Wow, haven’t seen you in forever.” She cringed at the bitterness that had crept into her tone.

He ducked his head sheepishly. “Sorry about that. My father has a show coming up and he’s had me really busy.”

Marinette hummed noncommittally. She really looked at him for the first time. His face was different somehow. His cheekbones were more pronounced than the last time she had seen him. 

“I was just about to duck into the café and grab some coffee so I can actually stay awake during my Business Leadership class. Do you want to join me?”

Marinette cast a look at the café and then down at her phone. “I better not. I have a project I really need to work on.”

Adrien’s eyes dulled. “Oh, sure. Maybe next time.”

“Yeah, next time. It was good to see you.” And with that, Marinette started off towards her dorm, leaving a lonely man staring after her.

____________________________

 

“Nino said Adrien asked him if we can all do dinner this week.” Alya broke off a piece of cookie and popped it in her mouth. “These are delicious, by the way.”

Marinette snatched the container out of her hands. “No more! I made these for a friend.”

“I’m your best friend,” Alya whined. 

“Not anymore.”

“We apologized!”

“Not enough!”

Alya chuckled. “Mari, it was a honest mistake. We’d had a little to drink, the room was dark, one thing led to another…”

“You had sex in my bed!”

“It isn’t like you were in the bed at the time.”

“Ughhhh!”

“It was really good sex. Does that make it better?”

Marinette threw a pillow at her roommate.

__________________________

 

Chat Noir stumbled as he landed on the Dupain-Cheng balcony and fell to his knees. Marinette jumped up from the lounger where she had been waiting. 

“Are you okay?” She leaned down and put a hand on his back when he didn’t immediately stand. His breaths were coming out in labored puffs. “Here, sit down.” She pushed him until he was off his knees and sitting against the railing.

“Sorry.”

“Did something happen?”

Chat Noir’s breathing finally started to slow and even out. “No, I guess I’m a little more tired than I thought.”

“You’ve been tired a lot lately,” Marinette replied, face etched with concern. “Maybe we need to stop meeting up so late.”

“No!” He turned wide eyes at her. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve come here every night this week. I’m being selfish. You should go back home. Get some rest.”

“You’re the best part of my day.” He leaned his head down so it rested on top of hers. “Please don’t make me go.”

Marinette breathed in sharply, heart pounding. “F-fine, you can stay, but let’s get more comfortable. I’m making you get some rest, Mister. Can’t have Paris’s favorite hero falling off any roofs.”

“Ladybug is Paris’s favorite hero,” Chat Noir mumbled. 

Marinette stood and offered him a hand. “Okay then, can’t have my favorite hero falling off any roofs.”

Chat Noir looked up at her and took her hand with a small smile.

________________________

 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, are you awake?”

“Hmmm.”

“I should probably go.” Chat Noir shifted a little but Marinette only used the opportunity to curl closer into him. He sighed, inhaling the scent of her hair. He really did need to go. He needed to be ready for a photo shoot in only four hours, but she was so warm curled up against him. She had insisted they lay on her bed since there was a little more room than the lounger. He had weakly argued, not wanting to get her bed dirty with his boots but she just shrugged and said they would stay on top of the covers.

“Marinette?” he tried again and this time he received no response at all. He brought a clawed hand up and ran it gently over her loose hair. He loved it when she wore it down and free. Of course, he loved it when she wore it up too. He just loved her. The realization punched him in the gut. He was absolutely in love with this woman.

How had this happened? He surely hadn’t meant it to…had he? He had only started visiting her late as Chat Noir when he didn’t have time to meet up with her at a decent hour as Adrien. And if earlier today had been any indication, she wasn’t all that fond of Adrien any longer, no doubt due to his constant cancellations and absences. This was a mess.

He gently pulled himself away from Marinette and sat up. She sighed but stayed asleep. He got to the edge of the platform and stood up, pushing open the skylight. 

“Chat?” Marinette sat up, rubbing her eyes.

Chat Noir didn’t trust himself to go back down to her. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to leave with her looking so cute and sleep-rumbled. “I have to go, Princess.”

“Not a princess,” she mumbled. “Wait, I have something for you.” She crawled to the edge of the bed and brushed past him to go down the ladder. She returned with a white box. “I made you some more cookies.”

Chat Noir felt his stomach rumble as the smell of chocolate floated up. “I better not. I ate too many last time anyway.”

Marinette stuck out her bottom lip. “Were they not good?”

“Yes, that’s why I ate too many of them,” he smiled back at her. “Really though, I can’t take them.”

Marinette poked a finger in his side to tease him and recoiled when it slid in further than she expected, the suit material sinking in. “Chat…”

“I have to go.” He pulled himself up through the skylight and looked down at her. “Thanks for taking care of me, Marinette. You don’t know how much it means to me.” And then he was gone before she could even reply. 

________________________________

 

“Tikki, do you think Chat Noir has a bad home life?”

The kwami fluttered down to settle on Marinette’s pillow. “It’s possible. He hasn’t seemed entirely himself lately, has he?”

“No. In battle, he’s slower and isn’t rebounding as quickly as he did before. And with me, he’s…tired? Sad, maybe? Something has changed.”

“And the cookies,” Tikki added.

“That was strange. I thought he was going to make himself sick he ate so many the last time I made them. And I could feel his ribs when I poked him tonight. I mean, we haven’t been that close and touchy but I think he’s definitely lost some weight.”

The young woman and kwami sat silently in thought.

_______________________

 

“Hey, Ladybug?”

“Hmmm?” Ladybug turned from her spot against the railing of the Eiffel Tower observation deck. They had just defeated another akuma and were taking a minute to catch their breath away from well-meaning civilian eyes.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Chat Noir asked, face flushing.

“Do I…um, why do you ask?”

“I have someone that I’ve been seeing, and I guess I was just wondering if you had any advice on dealing with the secret identity thing.”

Ladybug felt a flash of jealousy run through her before logic caught up. ‘He’s most likely talking about you, dum-dum.’

“Are things serious with this person?” she asked, curious.

Chat Noir sighed. “We aren’t official or anything, but we hang out almost every night. I, uh, I think I might be in love with her.”

Ladybug felt goosebumps break out along her skin under her suit. “That sounds pretty serious.”

“I haven’t told her that!” Chat Noir backpedaled. “I don’t even know if she feels…she may just see me as a friend and that’s…that’s fine. I just realized it myself last night.”

Marinette thought about his quick and sudden departure. “Are you going to tell her how you feel?”

“I want to, but, I don’t know, how can I start a relationship with someone when this is the only side they see? It feels like a lie.”

“Are you afraid she won’t like who you are under the mask?”

Chat Noir sighed. “I think I kind of messed that up already. I didn’t mean to, but life got in the way.”

“So you know this girl in and out of the mask?” Ladybug felt her heart speed up. She had always assumed Chat Noir was some random student Master Fu had picked out just like her. The first night they met, he had admitted to being in a class with her but she hadn’t found anyone who she could see being Chat in one of her classes.

“Yeah, she’s really amazing. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Do you know her?”

Ladybug cleared her throat. “Yeah.” She wanted to come up with some lie about how but she couldn’t bring herself too. In over four years, she had only ever told one person who she was under the mask, but if Chat Noir asked her, she knew she wouldn’t be able to lie to him. Not now.

Chat Noir nodded. “Well, My Lady, I should be off. This cat has things to do, people to see.”

“Tell Marinette I said hello.”

“She’ll like that,” he grinned and then he was off, albeit at a slower pace than she was used to seeing him use. 

Ladybug waited a few minutes and then started a roundabout way to get to the bakery.

________________________________

 

“My parents will be back in a few days. I don’t know how they’ll feel about some stray cat hanging around,” Marinette teased. Chat Noir had been anxiously waiting on her balcony when she finally got there. She had detransformed in an alley and come up through the bakery, claiming she had been running late.

“Hey, can we talk about something?” Chat Noir asked nervously. 

Marinette raised an eyebrow but kept her face blank otherwise. “What’s up?”

Chat Noir stood in front of her and took her hands. “Marinette, I...I really like you.”

Marinette looked up at him, cheeks warming. “I really like you too, Chat.”

“You do?”

“Do you think I bake cookies for just anybody? And you’re definitely the only guy who has been in my bed.” Her cheeks flamed redder and she shut her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

He chuckled. “So do you want to, uh, say we’re officially dating?”

She studied his face for a moment. “Would that mean I can tell people Chat Noir is my boyfriend?”

He thought about it. “Maybe we should still keep that a secret for now.”

“So we would be secret dating?”

He scrunched his nose under his mask. “That sounds stupid, doesn’t it?”

“A little,” she admitted.

He sighed and sat down on the lounger. “I don’t really know how to do this.”

Marinette said down beside him. “How about this? We will hang out like we have been and wherever things go, they go. And if you reach a point where you’re comfortable enough telling me who you really are, maybe then we can start dating.”

“You would be okay with that?”

Marinette nudged his shoulder with hers. “It is my idea. And anyway, I enjoy spending time with you.”

“Are we allowed to kiss while we hang out because I would really like to kiss you.” He had his head down but looked at her through thick lashes. 

“O-okay,” Marinette stammered.

Chat Noir cradled her cheek with a gloved hand and leaned in. The kiss was soft and warm. Marinette moved a hand to his waist and couldn’t help but notice with concern how thin he felt. Chat’s lips moved against hers a bit more and she forgot what she was worried about.

______________________

 

“What the hell happened to him?” Alya whispered as Adrien made his way towards them through the crowded restaurant. 

Marinette followed Alya’s eye line and took in a sharp breath. The black dress shirt hung off Adrien’s shoulders as if it was a size too big. Marinette was sure if the belt around his waist was removed, his gray slacks would slip to the floor. Deep shadows painted rings under dull eyes. His smile even looked worn as he reached the group.

“Hey, man! How’s it going?” Nino offered a hand and Adrien shook it with a grin. “Glad you could meet us tonight.”

“I’m glad you guys haven’t given up on me,” he admitted. “Alya, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you both look ravishing, as usual.”

“You look awful,” Alya said. 

“Alya!” Marinette and Nino admonished at the same time.

“No, she’s right,” Adrien admitted. “The summer show is coming up and I’ve had to get ready.”

“Dude, you were already one of the thinnest guys around. How much more ready can you possibly be?” Nino asked, eyes skeptical.

“My father is unveiling size 24 pants so…”

“Size 24?!” Marinette gasped. 

“Shit, man, I wear 32. Twenty-four is, like, non-existent.”

Adrien shrugged.

“This is really serious. We’re making sure you eat tonight.” Alya looked around for the waiter.

“Guys, it’s okay. This is just part of being a model. We have to lose weight before shows.”

“Adrien, there’s no way for you to physically get that small. A size 24—“ 

Adrien cut Marinette off. “Can we please just drop it? I’ve been surrounded by it for weeks now and I would really just love a nice night out with friends.”

The three exchanged worried looks.

“Sure, Adrien, whatever you want,” Marinette finally replied quietly.


	8. Chapter 8

“I have to take Nino to pick up his car. Would you mind taking Marinette home, Adrien?” Alya smiled sweetly, ignoring Marinette’s sputtering cough behind her.

“Sure, no problem at all.” Adrien turned to Marinette and held out an arm. “This way, My Lady.”

Marinette’s mouth dropped open and she quickly snapped it shut. Adrien’s smile faltered. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, sorry. I just, uh, I remembered something I was supposed to do earlier. It’s fine.” She slipped her arm through his. “Let’s go.”

The four said their goodbyes and Marinette settled herself in the passenger seat of Adrien’s sleek black car. “Are you staying at the dorm tonight?” he asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Yes,” she answered slowly. Why would Adrien think she was staying somewhere else? An image of Chat Noir on her balcony flashed through her mind. 

She looked over at Adrien, trying to put together the picture her mind was forcing on her but parts of it were still too fuzzy. She was distracted when she saw his wrists peeking out of his sleeves, bony and too thin.

“Can we talk?”

“About?” His voice was guarded.

“I’m worried about you.”

“You don’t need to be. I’ve done this before, and I have a dietician monitoring everything. As soon as the show is over, I’ll get back to my starting weight.”

Marinette didn’t immediately reply, instead watching the passing lampposts. “Dietician or not, it’s still not healthy.”

“I know,” he said softly.

“Then why do it?”

“I don’t know how well I can explain it.”

Marinette stayed silent.

Adrien took a deep breath. “My father is the only family I have. His company is his whole life and when I work with him, I get to be a part of that.” 

He spoke again after a few minutes. “I know it’s messed up. Part of me hates myself for it, but I can’t stop. I need him to be proud of me. I just need…”

“What?”

“It’s too pathetic to say.” Adrien parked the car and looked down at his lap.

Marinette didn’t need him to say it. She had a feeling she already knew what Adrien needed and it broke her heart. This wonderful, handsome, funny, brilliant man just wanted to be loved by the one person in the world who automatically should have loved him already. She reached over and put a hand on his arm. “Do you want to come inside for a little bit?”

“Yes.”

_________________________

 

“Plagg! What are you doing? Marinette could have seen you,” Tikki quietly berated as the cat kwami wormed his way in by her side up on top of the high bookcase in Marinette and Alya’s room.

“I made sure her back was turned. Nice to see you too, by the way,” he huffed but nuzzled his head against her.

“I’ve missed you,” Tikki admitted, rubbing a paw along his cheek.

“You always do,” he grinned. He looked down at the pair sitting on the bed below. 

“You’re worried about him.”

“He’s going to get himself killed. He’s not eating; he’s hardly sleeping. I give him as much energy as I can when he’s Chat but it’s getting to be too much.” Plagg sat back away from the edge. “I’ve tried to talk him into to seeing Master Fu but he refuses.”

“Marinette’s been worried about Chat.”

“You think she’s putting the pieces together?”

“For their sake, I hope so.”

________________________

 

“We’ve got to do something about Adrien,” Alya declared as soon as they were in her car.

“I don’t know that we can, Al. He’s a grown-ass man. If he wants to starve himself for dear old dad, there’s not a lot we can say about it.”

“Nino, he’s our friend and he’s really sick!”

Nino sighed. “I know. I’m just frustrated. He barely even touched the salad he ordered.”

“And did you see his wrists? He looks like a skeleton wearing Adrien’s skin.” Alya slammed a hand against the steering wheel. “I’m so angry! I could kill Gabriel Agreste!”

“I guess I kind of get it, in a way. My mom raised me and my brothers all on her own. If she ever asked me for anything, I’d probably do whatever I could for her. Granted, she would never ask me to starve myself, but that’s beside the point.” Nino ran a hand through his dark curling hair. “I think it would take Gabriel asking Adrien to stop to make it happen.”

“Fine, then I’ll go talk to Gabriel Agreste.”

“Woah, Alya, that is so not the point I was trying to make!”

___________________________

 

Marinette glanced nervously out her dorm window. She and Chat Noir hadn’t made plans tonight but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to show up, especially after the spectacular kissing the night before. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea if he saw Adrien in her room, but she also felt like it was important for Adrien to be with somebody right now.

“Is something wrong?” Adrien asked as he watched Marinette glance out the window again.

“Not wrong…I have this friend who comes by sometimes and I was just keeping an eye out for him.”

Adrien moved to stand up. “I can go if you want me to.”

Marinette grabbed hold of his arm and kept him sitting on the bed. “Stay. It’s fine. If he shows up, I’ll just introduce you.” She stood up and walked over to her desk. “You’ll never believe what I found at a thrift shop a few weeks ago!” She held up a battered DVD of ‘Aladdin’.

Adrien’s face lit up. “What did you think?”

“I haven’t actually watched it yet. I figured I should wait until you were around so you could bestow all your Disney knowledge on me.”

“You want to watch it now?”

“If you’re up to it.”

“Definitely!”

Marinette popped the DVD in the player and grabbed a white box from her desk before returning to the bed. She opened the box and pulled out a chocolate cookie. “Eat,” she demanded.

“Marinette.”

“I will force feed you this cookie and it will not be pretty.”

Adrien frowned and took the cookie. He nibbled the edge.

“You have got to be kidding me, Agreste.”

He blinked big green eyes at her. 

Marinette took the cookie from him and broke it in half. “Open your mouth.”

“This is ridiculo—Mmmppm.”

Marinette shoved half the cookie in his mouth and clamped a hand over his lips. “I warned you. Now chew.”

“Mmrrrnntttt.”

“Adrien, please? I promise I won’t make you eat anymore. Just one half of one measly cookie.”

His jaw began to move and Marinette finally pulled her hand away when she heard him audibly swallow. She got back up from the bed and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and handed it to him. 

“I’m sorry but you’ve got me terrified. I have half a mind to force every last bit of food in this room down your throat.”

“That would definitely make me sick,” he said quietly after a long drag of water.

“I know.”

“I don’t want you to be scared for me.”

“It’s too late for that.” She scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around his. They sat on her bed like that, backs to the wall, as the opening scene of ‘Aladdin’ ran on.

____________________________

 

“Do you trust me?” Aladdin asked Jasmine, hand outstretched.

“Do you trust me?” Chat Noir had asked, clawed hand offered.

“Tell me, Princess, when did you last let your heart decide,” Aladdin sang as they flew around on their magic carpet.

“Tell me, Princess, when did you last let your heart decide,” Chat Noir sang loudly, trying to convince Marinette to run across rooftops with him. 

“It’s only the best movie ever!” Adrien exclaimed the first day she had met him, coffee threatening to spill out of his cup as he excitedly gestured his way through the plot.

Marinette studied the man sleeping soundly beside her. They were both still sitting on her bed with their backs against the wall but Adrien’s head fell forward, soft snores whispering from him. The movie was playing through for the second time as Marinette tried to wrap her mind around this new discovery. There was a reason Chat Noir hadn’t shown up for the first night in weeks. He was already here.

“Chat,” she whispered softly, brushing a lock of blonde hair from Adrien’s face.

“Well, it’s about damn time,” a small black cat floated down from Tikki’s spot on the bookcase, the red kwami following behind him.

“Marinette, this rude creature is Plagg. Plagg, this is Marinette.”

“So it’s true. Adrien is Chat Noir.” Marinette was surprised with how well she was taking it, all things considered. 

“Yeah, and the kid is crazy about you so don’t go messing this up,” Plagg warned.

“Good grief, Plagg, give her a few minutes to process before you start in,” Tikki admonished. 

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Keep it that way.”

“Plagg!” Tikki folded her little arms. “I apologize, Marinette. He tends to get a little protective of his kittens.”

Marinette couldn’t hold back her giggle. She wondered how Adrien would feel about being called a kitten. Then she began to wonder how Adrien would feel about finding out Marinette was Ladybug. He had confessed his love for Marinette to Ladybug and had yet to actually tell Marinette. She was going to get a headache if she thought about it for too long.

“Should I just wake him up and tell him? That seems a little…”

“Yes!” Plagg said.

“No,” Tikki said.

Plagg glared at his mate. “And why the hell not, Tik?”

“Adrien is very vulnerable right now. I don’t know how he would handle news like this.”

“He would handle it just fine.” Plagg crossed his little arms. 

“Perhaps it would be better if Marinette lets him come to the conclusion on his own like she did.”

“I don’t know, the kid can be a little dense.”

“Do I get a say in this at all?” Marinette asked, raising a hand.

Plagg nodded, disgruntled.

“I think I agree with Tikki.”

“Big surprise.”

_____________________________

 

“I feel asleep.” Adrien rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Late, like, really late,” Marinette yawned. “Alya texted and she’s staying the night with Nino. Why don’t you just stay here?”

“I can’t.” Adrien stood and stretched and immediately fell back to the bed. “Ugh, head rush.”

“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere, Mister.” Marinette dropped to her knees and started to unlace Adrien’s shoes.

“W-what are you doing?”

“I’m taking your shoes off.”

“I can see that. Why?”

Marinette edged one shoe off and rolled her blue eyes up to him. “So you will be more comfortable. You can sleep in my bed and I’ll sleep in Alya’s.”

“I really shouldn’t stay.”

Marinette ignored him. “I know I don’t have any clothes to fit you but if you want to strip down until your comfortable, I promise not to look.” She gave him a wink and Adrien could feel his mouth dry out.

“Uh, w-what about your friend?”

“If he hasn’t shown up by now, he’s not coming tonight,” Marinette replied casually, standing up. 

Adrien finally really looked at her and was surprised to see she had changed into a cute little shorts and tank set while he was asleep. His eyes traveled up her smooth pale legs and he felt his cheeks heat up. All he really wanted to do was pull her down in his lap and kiss her until morning. 

Marinette leaned over and turned on the little lamp beside her bed and then sauntered over to Alya’s bed and climbed in. “I’ll be right over here if you need me.”

Adrien finally stood up and began to unbutton the dress shirt he was wearing. It had already been wrinkled from his accidental nap but he still folded it over Marinette’s desk chair. Turning his back to her, he loosened his belt and pulled down his pants, giving them the same treatment as his shirt so that he was left in a pair of boxer briefs that didn’t leave a lot to the imagination. He wondered if he should put his shirt back on. He spotted Plagg peeking out from the top of the bookcase. His back stiffened when he heard Marinette’s sharp intake of breath and the rustle of blankets, fearing she had seen his kwami.

“Turn around.” She was suddenly behind him, her arm on his bare back. He could feel her hand against his spine, tracing his vertebrae. 

“Marinette, please go get back in bed.”

“Adrien, turn around,” she cried softly.

He finally turned, his heart breaking when he saw the tears in her eyes. She immediately had her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his bare chest. 

“Please promise me we can have breakfast together,” she mumbled. “Please promise me you will eat with me in the morning.”

“Mari…”

“Please, Adrien, please.”

He didn’t know who he was kidding. He wouldn’t be able to deny her anything. “I promise,” he breathed into her hair.

“Good,” she said tearfully, wiping at her eyes angrily. She took his hand and led him back to her bed. “Now, lay down.”

Adrien obeyed, watching her. Marinette looked down at him for a moment before climbing in beside him. 

“What—“

“Shhh, we can talk in the morning,” she said, burying her face in his chest again and breathing in deep.


	9. Chapter 9

Adrien woke feeling warmer than he had in weeks. He shifted a little and hair tickled at his nose. He pulled back to see Marinette curled in against him, eyes closed and breathing softly. It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t transformed. The night came back to him in a rush, watching the movie, Marinette telling Adrien to stay, her tears when she saw what he had done to himself. 

His stomach rumbled and he tried to ignore it. He blamed the stupid cookie. It was the first bit of solid food he’d had in…he couldn’t remember. That was never a good sign. He had promised Marinette he would eat today but it would be all over if he did. He wouldn’t be able to start again. He could feel it in his bones. If she asked it of him though, he would eat whatever she put in front of him. He needed to get out of here.

“Chat,” Marinette mumbled as he tried to pull away from her. Adrien froze but Marinette seemed just as asleep as she had been. He attempted to move away again but Marinette followed him, snuggling in close. 

“I think you’re stuck, Kid,” Plagg drawled, floating down.

“I need to get out of here.”

“You need to stay right where you are. And when that pretty girl wakes up, you’re going to go eat breakfast with her.”

“I can’t,” Adrien said, voice strained. “You don’t understand.”

“Then let me put it to you another way, if you don’t eat breakfast, a good, filling breakfast, with Marinette today, I’m not going to transform you for any reason other than akuma attacks,” Plagg warned. “So no more nightly visits from Chat, no more carrying her across the rooftops, no more kissing.”

“You can’t—“

“I can and I will.”

“Adrien?” Marinette’s sleepy voice caught his attention. Adrien shooed Plagg away with a hand. The kwami gave him a steady look and then flew back up to his hiding place. 

“Good morning,” he said softly. 

She smiled up at him, eyes heavy. “Morning. Did you sleep okay?”

“Better than I have in weeks.”

“Good,” she hummed and pressed her cheek against his bare chest.

While he was more than happy to have her wrapped around him, Adrien was a little flabbergasted. Marinette had told Chat the she liked him. They had made out just two days before! Was it really so easy for her to switch between men? He honestly hadn’t thought she was capable of something like that. Sure, this may solve the problem of them dating but if she could dismiss Chat Noir so easily…

“Are you ready to go get some breakfast?” She was looking up at him, blue-eyed and tousle-headed and gorgeous.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I…I don’t—“

“You promised. No take backs.” She pulled away from him and sat up. Her tank top had ridden up in the night and Adrien watched her back hungrily as she slowly tugged the cotton back down. “I think I have an extra toothbrush from the health fair last month if you want to use it.” She stood and padded into the bathroom.

Adrien sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He could hear the water running in the bathroom. He could get dressed and leave while she was in there. She would be upset but he could apologize later and maybe make it okay. Sure, Plagg may stay true to his word not to transform him for a while but he could figure out something. He was buttoning his shirt up when Marinette reappeared in a cute light green sundress and her hair up in a bun.

“Here.” Marinette handed Adrien the packaged toothbrush. “Toothpaste is on the counter. Excuse the mess.”

Adrien took the toothbrush and closed the bathroom door.

“You took long enough,” Plagg complained. “He was about to make a run for it.”

“I was listening,” Marinette whispered. “I wouldn’t have let him leave.”

“At least you decided to show a little skin. That should help.”

“Plagg!” Tikki swatted at the black cat.

The bathroom door opened and the kwamis shot to their hiding places. 

“Ready?” Marinette asked with a big smile.

“Where are you wanting to go?” Adrien voice was resigned and tired.

“I’ve got just the place.” Marinette smiled, taking his hand.

__________________________________

 

“I’d like to schedule a meeting with Gabriel Agreste,” Alya stated into the phone. Nino dropped his head into his hands.

“And what does this pertain to?” the bored female voice on the other end of the line asked. 

“It’s about his son Adrien and his current health.”

“Is this some kind of threat?” the voice was now sharp.

Alya backpedaled. “Of course not! I’m a friend of Adrien’s and I’m worried about him. He’s lost too much weight, he’s not eati—“

“I can assure you that Adrien is well cared for. He is under the supervision of a dietician and is following orders.”

“It’s not righ—“

“Goodbye.”

Alya looked down at the phone screen. “Bitch hung up on me.”

Nino shrugged helplessly.

___________________________

 

“Your parents’ bakery?” Adrien asked when they parked. Marinette decided not to point out that Adrien had no knowledge of the bakery. Her poor kitty wasn’t doing so well with keeping things straight. She was surprised she hadn’t figured it out earlier.

“They’re getting back in town tomorrow. I thought it would be nice if we made our own breakfast here. We can eat in private and maybe that will make it a little easier.” She touched his arm and looked up at him hopefully.

Adrien’s heart clenched. He didn’t know how he was going to fight this. He needed to. He had to. But…

Marinette unlocked the door and led him up the stairs. “Take a seat and I’ll get started. What do you like in your omelet? Cheese? Ham? Peppers?”

“Mari…”

“You promised.”

“I know but you don’t understand what you’re asking.”

She rounded the counter and advanced on him, eyes furious. Surprised, he backed away from her until the back of his legs hit the couch. Marinette reached out and pushed him so he dropped down and she straddled his lap. Adrien’s mouth dropped open in shock. Marinette grabbed his chin with one hand and braced herself against the back of the couch with her other hand.

“Now, you listen to me, Adrien Agreste. I don’t care what reasons you think you have for doing this to yourself. You are too important to fade away.” A tear ran down one cheek, her eyes transitioning from furious to pleading. “I care about you so much and it’s killing me to see you like this. Please don’t do this anymore.” 

“Why?” he croaked.

Marinette titled her head, confused. She let her hand fall away from his chin.

“Why do you care so much?”

Exasperated, Marinette grabbed his face with both hands and pressed her lips to his. Adrien stayed still beneath her. Marinette started to pull away and suddenly Adrien was hugging her to his body, lips pressing firmly against hers. He broke contact first, gasping for breath. Marinette moved her lips to his cheek and then his jaw and then his neck. Adrien moaned, leaning his head back to bare more skin to her.

“You stupid, stupid cat. How could you not know I love you by now?” she whispered against his skin.

Adrien’s breath caught in his throat. “W-what did you say?”

Marinette pulled back, shifting her weight so she wasn’t putting too much pressure on him. He felt so breakable beneath her hands. She looked him in the eyes. “I said I love you, Adrien Agreste. Chat Noir, I love you.” She sniffed delicately. “Also, I called you stupid.”

“You know…”

“You’ve been letting things slip. Also, ‘Aladdin’ was a dead giveaway. You really love that movie.”

“You aren’t mad?”

She tilted her head again. “Should I be?”

“I lied to you.”

“About that…” Marinette stood and heard Adrien sigh at the lack of contact. “Tikki, spots on!”

Tikki flew out of Marinette’s bag and pink light rushed down the woman’s body. 

Adrien blinked as Ladybug stood in Marinette’s place. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“You okay, kitty?”

Adrien scratched the back of his neck. “This is a lot at once.”

Ladybug shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Was it too much? I just didn’t want you to know that I knew who you were but then keep it a secret who I was because that would be so dramatic and ridiculous and now that I think about it, it was so stupid of me to spring all this on you and all I wanted to do was make you breakfast and—“

A long slender finger pressed against her lips. “You’re rambling, My Lady.”

_______________________________

 

“Alya, we can not roll up on Gabriel Agreste’s house. That dude will have us straight up arrested, no questions asked. Let’s just go back to campus and find Adrien,” Nino pleaded.

“It’s too late for that.” Alya parked her car on the street and opened the door.

“Nothing has happened yet. It’s not too late!” Nino sat in the car, watching his girlfriend stomp her way over to the intercom system. Man, he loved her.

______________________________

 

“If I eat this, I’m not going to be able to stop.” Adrien had his fork poised over the overstuffed omelet on the plate before him.

“Then after it settles, I’ll make you another one.” Marinette took a bite of fluffy egg.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I know,” she replied simply. 

“He’s going to be really angry with me.”

Marinette took a long drink of orange juice and sat her glass down. “Adrien, look at me.”

He sat his fork down and turned his attention on her.

“Are you hungry?”

“Marinette.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I’m hungry but—“

“Do you want the omelet?”

“That’s not—“

“It’s a simple question, kitty.”

Adrien’s cheeks turned pink. “Yes, I want the omelet.”

“Do you want me to feed you?”

Adrien looked down. “I don’t think I can…” he trailed off in a small voice.

Marinette scooted her chair closer and picked up his fork. She sliced off a small bite and held it up. Adrien looked down at the bite and then up at her. She smiled encouragingly. Cheeks redder, he opened his mouth and she slipped the omelet in. His eyes closed as he chewed. Marinette used the fork to cut off another bite, a little larger this time.

They made it halfway through the omelet before Adrien had to call it quits. “I’ll be sick if I eat anymore.”

Marinette nodded and cleaned up their dishes. “We’ll try again with lunch in a few hours.”

Adrien watched her move around the tiny kitchen just as he had the night she made cookies for Chat Noir. She had once again donned her pretty pink apron. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to stay locked in this little slice of time with just her and him and nothing else in the world. 

“Do you want to take a shower?” Marinette was pulling the apron straps over her head. “I could wash your clothes and you can wear something of my dad’s while we’re here.”

“A shower would be really great actually.”

Marinette nodded and disappeared into a room. She came back out with a shirt, pants, and a fluffy towel. “Bathrooms through that door. Use whatever you need. Just leave your clothes outside the door and I’ll throw them in the wash.”

_____________________________

 

Alya huffed, slamming the door.

“Threatened to call the police?” Nino asked.

Sirens sounded in the distance. Alya turned over the ignition with a grimace and they rolled away.

________________________________

 

“Uh, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, does your dad have anything smaller?” Adrien asked from behind the closed bathroom door.

“I don’t know. Does that not work?”

The door opened and Adrien waddled out, holding up the large pants with one hand. The shirt was only a little long but swallowed him in width. Marinette doubled over in laughter.

“It’s not that funny,” Adrien said flatly. 

“Maybe you haven’t properly seen it then,” she giggled.

He smiled at her indulgently.

“Come sit on the couch so you don’t have to worry about losing your pants.”

“I never said I didn’t want to lose my pants, Princess.”

“Naughty kitty,” she laughed, patting the space beside her.

They cuddled together on the couch, watching something mindless on the television until Adrien’s stomach gave a loud rumble.

“Lunch time!” Marinette announced, standing up.

“Hey.” Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. She blinked at him. “I just want to say thank you for taking care of me. I know I should be able to do it myself but I—“

Marinette kissed him softly. “It’s my pleasure.”


	10. Chapter 10

“This is the list of models I pulled from the Gabriel Summer Show line-up but Adrien is the only one I have contact information for. The rest of the names are unlisted in the databases I have access to. I am hoping you could help me out,” Alya said, teeth bared in a fierce grin. 

“That depends, of course, on what you can offer in return,” Max replied, adjusting his glasses.

Alya nodded at Nino, who reached into his bag and pulled out a slim disk case, handing it over.

“This is an advance copy of Ultimate Mecha Strike V.”

Max took the disk and looked it over. “This isn’t possible. It doesn’t even go out for early release to retailers for another month.”

“My uncle is one of the designers,” Nino explained. “He always sends me an early copy, but this one could be yours if you can help.”

Max looked over the list of names and back at the disk. “I can have it to you in 24 hours.”

Alya plucked the disk from his hands. “It’s a deal. I’ll bring this back when I get the info. I’d hate for you to get distracted.”

Max frowned but nodded. “You drive a hard bargain, Cesaire.”

______________________

 

“Sir, Adrien’s dietician called to inform me Adrien didn’t show up for his appointment this morning,” Nathalie read from her tablet. “I’ve tried calling his cell phone but it goes straight to voicemail.”

“What is his schedule today?” Gabriel asked without looking up from his work.

“He should have been in his Business and Government class at eleven but according to his professor, he didn’t attend today. I’m waiting to hear back if he was in attendance for his two o’clock course.”

“Activate the GPS on his phone and send out a car to retrieve him. I’d like to see him when he returns.”

“Yes sir.” Nathalie turned to leave but stopped in the doorway. “A friend of his from school came by wanting to schedule an appointment with you about Adrien’s health. Apparently there has been some worry among his peers.”

The clicking of his keyboard stopped. “Has Adrien expressed any concerns to you?”

“No sir.”

“Then carry on.”

_______________________

 

“Adrien, I would really like it if you would eat more of that.” Marinette eyed the barely touched sandwich.

“I don’t think I can.” Adrien wrapped his arms around his middle. “It hurts.”

Marinette reached out to him and Adrien leaned into her touch immediately. It hadn’t taken long for her to realize he was starved for more than just food. “Explain it to me,” she said softly.

“I know my body is starving. I know I need to eat this, but…I know I’m not supposed to. I know I need to lose weight.” He dropped his head. “And I don’t know which way is right.”

“Do you maybe mean you don’t know who is right?” 

He huddled down further into himself.

Marinette stayed silent for a few moments, trying to work out what to say in her head. Finally, she spoke. “My dad loves steak. I mean, the man could eat steak for every meal and still want more. But he also tends to have high cholesterol if he doesn’t watch it. Every once in a while, my mom will have to enforce a new meal plan to help Dad’s cholesterol levels go back down when he gets a bit out of control. She doesn’t do it for herself; she does it to take care of him. She does it because she loves him.” 

Marinette put a hand under Adrien’s chin and gently pushed his head up. “When you love someone, you want what’s best for them.”

“You’re saying my father doesn’t love me,” he said flatly.

“I can’t know that. What I’m saying is that I love you and I’m going to take care of you from now on, whatever you need.”

He laughed and it was bitter and sharp. “How can you love this?” He gestured down to himself. “I’m broken, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I don’t want to drag you down with me.”

“You really can’t see how amazing you are, can you?” Marinette asked in wonder.

Adrien looked up in surprise.

“As Adrien, you’re joyful and enthusiastic and kind and caring and adorable and dorky and so handsome it hurts sometimes.” Marinette ran a hand gently down his sharp cheek. “And as Chat Noir, you’re brave and funny and strong and smart and ridiculous and incredibly sexy.” She winked at him.

“I…I’m not…I don’t…” Adrien trailed off.

“Yes, you’re broken, but we’re all a little broken. And you’re so much more than this one piece right now. Do you understand?”

Adrien’s eyes shimmered with tears but he didn’t respond.

“Adrien, I don’t want to change anything about you. I just want you to realize how much you’re worth.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Now, if you really don’t think you can eat this right now, I’ll put it up and you can just try again later.”

“I’d like to try now,” he said softly, looking down at the plate.

“Okay,” Marinette smiled.

___________________________________

 

“What’s end game here, Babe?” Nino looked up at the ceiling from his place lying on Alya’s bed and tossed the hacky sack into the air.

“End game is getting Adrien back to his healthy and handsome self,” Alya replied, furiously typing. “But along the way, I’m going to expose Gabriel Agreste for the selfish monster he is.”

“And the contact info on the models comes into play how?”

“Adrien can’t be the only one suffering. Maybe if I can talk to a few of the models, get some of them to go on record, I can gather enough evidence to write a piece about the dangers of the fashion industry, specifically at Gabriel.”

“I doubt many of them are going to talk to you. This is their job. They’ll probably be just as stubborn as Adrien.”

Alya sighed and swiveled in her desk chair. “It’s a possibility, but I have to try.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I sure do,” Alya winked. “But it’s nice to be reminded every once in a while.”

“If you come over here, I’ll remind you a little more,” Nino grinned.

Alya stood and sauntered over. “Nino Lahiffe, you know just what to say.”

___________________________

 

“Is someone knocking at the door?” Marinette got up from the couch and looked out the window. “There’s a silver car out there I don’t recognize.”

Adrien groaned and stood up, joining her. “Of course.” He went to the kitchen counter and retrieved his phone. “Great, six voicemails from Nathalie. I’m guessing that car is for me.” He plugged in a number and held the phone up in irritation. “Hey, Nathalie, did you send a car to a bakery on Rue Gotlib to pick me up? Yeah, I’m here but I’m not coming home right now…I will grab notes from someone in my class…Tell him…tell him I will meet with him when I’m free. You’re right I should have called. I will next time…I’m not sure, whenever she kicks me out, I guess.” Adrien looked at Marinette and winked. She smiled as her cheeks flushed. “Yeah, okay, bye.”

“Everything okay?”

“Nathalie’s pissed so that means Father will be pissed but that’s future Adrien’s problem. He can handle it.”

“Future Adrien sounds like quite the champ.”

“Oh, he will be.” Adrien nodded his head. 

“And what about present Adrien?” Marinette asked, delighted in the change in the man’s demeanor.

“What about him?”

“Well, he just bought some more time so what should we do with it?” Marinette walked two fingers up his chest.

Adrien gave her the best Chat Noir smirk he could manage. “I think we can figure something out, Princess.”

______________________________

 

“They’re really good for each other,” Tikki hummed, cuddling closer to Plagg.

“They’re disgusting but I can agree with that.”

“Do you think he will be okay now?”

Plagg kissed the top of Tikki’s head. “I think he’ll be just fine.”

_______________________________

 

Gabriel stared at the picture on his desk. Adrien had only been two or so with big green eyes and a head full of blonde curling hair. He wore a light blue shirt with the words “Future Model” stamped across his chest. Madeline had been so proud when she found the shirt, requesting a mini photo shoot as soon as she had wrangled the toddler into it.

His wife had loved being a model. She would fawn over his new designs and prance around the house in the prototypes Gabriel would bring home for her to try. Getting pregnant had been bittersweet for Madeline Agreste. While she had been ecstatic about bringing Gabriel’s child into the world, she mourned her body. She had loved Adrien with everything she had in her, but she never fully recovered what she felt like she lost and her downward spiral into getting back to her pre-pregnancy body had been her doom in the end.

She had been so very beautiful. Gabriel stroked a finger down the picture of her face. And now Adrien was just as beautiful, he just needed to be reminded of where he belonged.

Gabriel pressed the intercom. “Nathalie, when is Adrien expected to arrive?”

Nathalie looked up into the camera nervously. “Well, sir, he said he wasn’t coming home yet.”

“Is that so?”

“I believe he is with a young woman, sir. I would assume Marinette Dupain-Cheng, according to the address.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel rolled the name around in his mouth. “Doesn’t sound familiar.”

“She appears to be a design student at the university. From what I’ve gathered, they’ve been seen together on campus a few times.”

“How convenient that a design student has taken an interest in my son. No doubt a ploy to make a name for herself.”

Nathalie didn’t respond.

“Very well, Nathalie. Make sure Adrien is sent to me at once when he finds himself back here. We are in need of a serious talk.”

“Yes sir.”

_______________________________

 

“We should, uh, we should probably take a break,” Marinette gasped, her skin blazing as Adrien traced a pattern against her bare side with his fingers under the cotton of her shirt.

Adrien licked a path from her throat to her ear. “We can if you want to,” he murmured into her neck.

“M-maybe just a little longer.”

Adrien smiled against her skin and kissed her pulse point. Marinette melted a little deeper into the couch. 

“I love you,” he whispered so softly that Marinette wasn’t sure if she actually heard him at first. “I love you so much, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

She brought a hand up to run through his hair. “I love you too.” She giggled. “This all feels a little surreal, doesn’t it?”

Adrien pushed himself up on his elbows to hover above her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, three days ago, I was kissing Chat Noir for the first time on my balcony. Then just last night, I was hanging out with Adrien for what felt like the first time in forever, only to figure out that I have been with you almost every night for months now.”

“How do you think I feel knowing it was you getting slapped around by akumas every time we fought together? I’m still trying to wrap my mind around pink apron Marinette being the same person as kick-ass Ladybug,” Adrien replied.

“Hey, pink apron Marinette can be kick-ass too!”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” Adrien dipped back down to kiss her. “When did you say your parents are coming back?”

“Their flight lands tomorrow around one. I’m going to pick them up at the airport.”

“Would it be okay…I mean, I understand if you don’t want to, but do you think…”

“Do I think…” Marinette coaxed.

“Can we stay here tonight? Maybe we could sleep in your bed again…” Adrien lost his courage and sat up, pulling away from her.

“You don’t want to leave our little bubble either, huh?”

“How do you do that?”

Marinette smiled and sat up. “Do what?”

“You just know what I mean. You understand me.”

“I guess I find you easy to understand.” Marinette stood and stretched. “Besides, it’s not one-sided. I’ve enjoyed it being just the two of us here today. How do you feel about pizza? I’m not really in the mood to make anything.”

“I feel like all we’ve done today is eat.”

“That’s all we were supposed to do today.”

“I’m worried about going home,” Adrien admitted. “It’s not going to be easy there.”

She cupped his face. “You’ll tell me if there’s anything I can do to help you, right?”

He nodded slowly.

“We’re a team,” she said with a kiss.

“We’re a team,” he echoed.


	11. Chapter 11

“Damn it, this is not how my night was supposed to go,” Ladybug spat. Iceking slid closer and tried to knock her legs out from beneath her with a frozen staff. 

“Freeze!” Chat Noir grinned, swinging his baton to parry away Iceking’s staff. “Don’t worry, My Lady. We still have the rest of the night ahead of us.”

Iceking sent a sheet of ice flowing along the street. Chat Noir awkwardly glided backwards and slammed into a parked car. He gasped in surprised pain and fell to his knees.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug growled, throwing her yo-yo in the air. Maybe it was her anger at the akuma for daring to attack when she had been heavily making out with her boyfriend. Maybe it was her desperation to end this before Chat Noir got any more hurt in his weakened state. Or maybe Tikki herself was just over the whole thing. Whatever the case may be, a red and black polka dotted blowtorch fell into her hands. “Now this is more like it.” 

Ladybug turned the nozzle with a hiss and a blue flame flared out. She held it above the iced pavement and it began to melt away.

“You can’t do that!” Iceking yelled. He shot a sharp icicle from his comically big gun in Ladybug’s direction. Chat Noir cried out in warning but Ladybug was already dodging it, running towards the akuma with blowtorch in hand.

Iceking took one look at the advancing hero and spun. He barely made it past two storefronts before Ladybug knocked him in the back of the knees, taking him down. She held the blowtorch over his head, quickly melting away the large ice crown. A black butterfly fluttered up and Ladybug caught it angrily. 

_____________________________

 

“I’m fine, really,” Adrien insisted as Marinette rounded him again. She ran a hand across his visible ribs. “I mean, aside from that.”

“You hit that car really hard,” she said, keeping her hands on him.

He reached up to scratch the back of his neck. “Yeah, I think it cracked a couple of ribs.”

“What?!” Marinette frantically started feeling around his rib cage again.

Adrien gently took her hands and pushed them away, still holding on to them. “The Miraculous Cure fixed them, I promise.”

“Still,” she pouted.

“And now we know the Cure doesn’t fix anything retroactively before the akuma. Would have been pretty neat if it had,” Adrien said wistfully.

“We’ve just got to give it time.”

“I know.”

“It’s late. Ready for bed?” Marinette pulled away from him and held out her hand. Adrien happily took it and followed her up the stairs to her loft.

________________________________

 

“As per our agreement, here is all the contact information I could gather.” Max handed Alya a thumb drive. “I was only able to obtain twenty-three of the thirty but it was the best I could do in the time limit.”

“This is really great. Thanks, Max.” Alya slid the video game disk to him. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Since you’re alone today, I thought I might ask—“

“Dating Nino, Max,” Alya smiled just a little too sweetly.

“Right, of course, carry on.”

_______________________________

 

“I need to get ready to go to the airport,” Marinette sighed.

“I know.” Adrien brushed her bangs out of her face.

“It shouldn’t be so hard to leave.”

“Let’s just get married,” Adrien grinned. “Then we never have to leave.”

“I think it’s a bit early for that.”

“Think of it, we can be Mr. and Mrs. Adrien Dupain-Cheng.”

“Going to take my last name, are you?” she smiled.

“Absolutely.”

Marinette kissed him and he pulled her in closer. Within a minute, she found herself straddling his waist. “No, no, no,” she groaned. “I need to go take a shower so I can pick up my parents.” Adrien nibbled on the side of her earlobe just above her Miraculous. “Okay, m-maybe I can skip the shower.”

Adrien sighed heavily and lay back, dropping his arms. “I’m a bad influence.”

Marinette giggled, slid off of him, and climbed down the ladder. “Just relax. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

___________________________

 

“Babe.”

“What?!” Alya hissed.

Nino slid a Snickers bar onto the desk in front of her. She stared down at it and then looked up at him. He shrugged his shoulders, the corners of his lips tugging up.

“Thanks,” she smiled back at him. Nino pulled up Marinette’s desk chair so he could bump knees with Alya. “Sorry, I’m just hitting a lot of dead ends.”

“Nobody wants to talk?”

“The last one called me a crazy, jealous bitch. She also hopes I rot in hell.”

“A bit extreme,” Nino smirked.

“Eh, I wasn’t so nice to her either.”

“That’s my girl. How many more can you call?”

“Seven.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I’ve got one more female and the rest are guys. I know Adrien is a guy, it just felt like I would have a little more luck finding a woman that would speak out against Gabriel.” Alya unwrapped the candy bar and took a bite. “This is really good.”

“I figured you could use a pick-me-up.”

“Okay, I’m refueled, I’m refreshed, and I’m ready to kick ass.”

“Go get ‘em, Tiger.”

Alya nodded in affirmation and dialed the next number on her list. “Hi, may I please speak to Circe?”

_______________________

 

“You’re going to call me if you need anything, right? No matter what time it is or if you’re afraid I’ll be busy, right?” Marinette drilled.

“Yes ma’am,” Adrien answered again dutifully.

“And if your dad tries to get on your case, you’re going to tell him to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine, right?”

“Probably not exactly like that.” He smiled softly. “You’re amazing.”

“You are,” she argued. “Now kiss me and get out before I change my mind and make you come to the airport with me.”

Adrien leaned over and kissed her sweetly and then they just looked at each for a few moments. Finally, Adrien turned, opened the car door, and stepped out. Marinette watched him punch in a code at the gate and enter inside once it had opened. Her eyes followed him up the path and the stairs. She was about to look away when he turned around and caught her eye, his hand on the doorknob. He gave her a small smile and a wave and then stepped inside.

_______________________

 

“We can keep everything completely anonymous if that makes you more comfortable,” Alya said, pen poised above her notepad. Her thin recorder sat in the middle of the table, red light blinking.

“I would appreciate that, thanks.” The young woman fidgeted with her nails. They had been chewed down to a painful length and had an unnatural blue tint to them. 

“Okay, how long have you been on contract with Gabriel?”

“I started with Gabriel around three years ago. This will be the fourth show I’ve been chosen for.”

Alya nodded, scribbling down notes. “And what goes into preparing for a Gabriel show?”

“Obviously you want to know about the weight loss, right? I mean, that’s the whole reason we’re here.” Circe looked around the café anxiously. “Some models are just naturally skinny enough, but some of us have to work for it. In the winter show, Gabriel had me lose twenty-one pounds so that the bulky peacoat he had designed would have thin, sharp lines on the runway.”

“No offense, but how can you afford to lose that much?”

“I can’t,” Circle laughed bitterly. “I passed out as soon as I made it off the runway and was in the hospital for three weeks. Mr. Agreste’s secretary came by to make sure I knew that I had made the choice to starve myself and brought me a bouquet of flowers.”

Alya jotted down a few more notes. “And here you are doing another show?”

“Look, Gabriel Agreste is a bastard but he’s the bastard at the top. If I want to make it in this industry, I have to pay my dues.”

“But at what cost?”

Circe eyed Alya steadily. “What’s this really about?”

“I’m friends with Adrien. I’m worried about him.”

The model’s eyes softened. “Adrien’s a good guy. He always has a kind word for everyone. He visited me in the hospital too just to visit. No concealed threats, no fake gifts. He’s definitely a rarity in this industry.”

“He’s not doing so well.”

“I’m not surprised. Gabriel makes him the focal point of each show. He’s got this twisted view of beauty and it seems like he’s tried to mold his son into it.”

Alya capped her pen and sat it on her notebook. “Even if I write this story and use you as an anonymous source, it’s possible someone could trace it back. I called everyone I could on the list. You were the only one who would meet with me. Not that I’m not grateful, but why?”

Circe traced a pattern on the table with the pad of her pointer finger. “Honestly? I think I hate what I’ve become. This was never going to be me. I wasn’t the kind of person who would let someone else tell me what to do to make myself more beautiful.” She sighed then and slumped as if all her energy had escaped with the sigh. “But here I am. Starving and depressed just so someone may think I look perfect walking down a runway.” She stood up. “Not all models are like this, you know. I’m just one of the unlucky ones.”

Circe pushed in her chair and walked away.

“That was pretty intense,” Nino commented, moving over from the next table where he had been eavesdropping.

“Yeah.” Alya looked back towards the door Circe had disappeared through.

_________________________

 

Adrien took a deep breath and opened the door. “You wanted to see me, Father?”

Gabriel looked up from the large binder in front of him. “Adrien, how nice of you to drop by.”

“I apologize for being gone so long. I was spending time with a friend.” Adrien took his usual seat in front of the desk.

“Yes, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I believe.”

Adrien stiffened. “Yes. She’s, uh…we’ve been dating.”

“And how did you two meet?”

Adrien smiled, happy his father was taking an interest. “It was funny actually. She tripped right in front of me, ended up spraining her wrist. I walked her to the nurse’s office and we had so much fun talking that we ended up grabbing coffee and hanging out for a couple of hours. It kind of snowballed from there.”

“I see.”

“She’s really amazing. I would love for you two to meet…well, maybe later. She’s got exams coming up and she’s really busy right now but definitely you could meet later,” Adrien winced. He had a feeling Marinette would not be interested in meeting his father any time soon.

“And what has she asked you to do for her?” Gabriel’s voice was blank.

“Do for her?”

“I assume she’s asked for something. Tickets to the show? Perhaps a job at Gabriel when she graduates? Is she designing her own clothing line that she would like you to model?”

“N-no, none of that.”

“You do remember that you are under contract at Gabriel? You aren’t allowed to model for anyone else, even some student designer you might be screwing.”

“Father,” Adrien said shocked. “I’m not— We’re not…”

“Spit it out already,” Gabriel demanded.

Adrien took in a shaky breath. “Marinette is my girlfriend. She hasn’t asked me to do any of that stuff. We don’t even talk about her designs.”

“Ah, so perhaps she would like to get knocked up then. A lot of stock would come with having an Agreste baby, bastard or not.”

“Why are you saying all this?!”

Gabriel’s eyes softened. “I just want to protect you, Adrien. This girl is only using you.”

“That’s not true. You don’t know what—“

“You have a kind heart but you always want to see the best in people and there are plenty of people in this world who will take advantage of that.”

Adrien could feel himself shaking with anger. Plagg placed a comforting paw against his chest from inside his jacket. “Marinette is not like that. She is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. She loves me, Father.”

“My poor, delusional boy. I should have come and picked you up myself yesterday. This girl has you all twisted around.” Gabriel stood and rounded his desk and put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “We’ll get through this together.” 

“May I please go?” Adrien requested softly.

“Don’t leave the house unless I’ve given you permission.”

“Father—“

“That will be all, Adrien.”

____________________________

 

 **Adrien:** I miss you already, My Lady.

**Marinette:** I miss you too, my sweet kitty.


	12. Chapter 12

“Looks like we’ve got a visitor, Kid.” Plagg nodded his head towards the wall of windows behind them. 

Adrien swiveled around in his chair to see Ladybug balancing on his windowsill. She waved a hand and smiled shyly. He jumped up and opened one of the windows.

“Sorry to drop by like this,” Ladybug said as soon as she slipped inside. “I was in my room and my sheets smelled like you and I—“

Adrien took her face in his hands and kissed her. She melted into him and he walked them backwards without losing contact. The two finally broke for air as they landed on the couch and Ladybug laughed airily. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he said huskily, leaning his forehead against hers. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She pulled at the messenger bag on her hip. “I brought you something.”

Ladybug pulled a white bakery box out and flipped open the lid. “My dad was itching to get back in the kitchen as soon as he got home. I wanted to bring you some of the croissants. There are chocolate and raspberry and cheese—“

“Don’t ever let this one get away,” Plagg demanded as he swooped in and grabbed a cheese-filled croissant. Ladybug reached a finger out to pet the black kwami’s head. He nuzzled into her and let out a purr.

“My parents are really looking forward to meeting you,” Ladybug said, picking through the pastries.

“Really?”

“Of course! I was telling them about how we met and how handsome and funny and sweet you are and how you already proposed—“

“You didn’t.”

She grinned. “Okay, maybe I left out that part. I also maybe didn’t mention that you had been staying with me. I don’t think my dad would have liked that.”

“Probably a smart move,” Adrien agreed, leaning in to kiss her again.

“Go ahead and pick one out. You really can’t go wrong with my dad’s croissants.” Ladybug shook the box a little and the rolled bread shook.

“These look great,” Adrien said but didn’t move to take one. 

Ladybug lifted a chocolate croissant out. “Split it with me?”

“Sure.”

Ladybug tore it in half and took a bite. She hummed in appreciation and held up the other half to Adrien. He eyed it and opened his mouth. Ladybug gently pushed the croissant forward and Adrien bit down, chewing slowly.

“That is really good.”

She beamed at him. “So how are you?”

“Father wasn’t happy with my disappearing act.”

“Was it bad?”

He hung his head. “Yeah, it was.”

“I’m sorry, kitty.”

“I already feel better with you just being here.”

Ladybug smiled and leaned against him. 

“Can you stay with me tonight?” Adrien asked quietly.

She looked back towards the bedroom door. “Is that a good idea?”

“No, but I don’t care.” He stood up and locked the door. “Please, Mari.”

She let her transformation drop. Plagg met Tikki wordlessly and led her to his bedding. “Okay, but I really do have to make it to class tomorrow.”

“I’ll set an alarm,” Adrien replied happily and took her hand, leading her to his bed.

_____________________________

 

“Nino!”

Nino spun to see Nathaniel jogging towards him, red hair waving like a flame. “Hey dude. What’s up?”

“Max told me about the thing Alya is doing, the Gabriel model piece,” Nathaniel answered, slightly out of breath.

“What about it?”

“I want in.”

“In?”

“My sister is one of his models. She almost died getting ready for a show. I want to help take the son of a bitch down.”

Nino blinked. “Circe’s your sister?”

“Who’s Circe?”

“Nevermind. How do you think you can help?”

Nathaniel grinned. “I’m glad you asked.”

_________________________

 

“Well, well, well, I would say this is a walk of shame but I don’t think that counts after a couple of days. If you hadn’t been texting me, I would have sent the police after you,” Alya said in greeting as Marinette came through the door.

“Sorry, I was with Adrien.”

“Oh, I know.” Alya waggled her eyebrows. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s eating some so that’s been really good. I don’t think things went well when he went home yesterday. He didn’t go into detail but he was upset last night.” Marinette slumped down on her bed. “I’m a little exhausted,” she admitted.

“I know you want to nurse him back to health and all but you need to take care of yourself too.”

“I know,” Marinette sighed, laying back. 

“I’ve been dying to ask…”

“We didn’t have sex,” Marinette answered with a smirk.

“You don’t know that’s what I was going to ask.”

Marinette snorted.

“Okay, so that’s what I was going to ask. Did you at least make out a little or are you still hung up on the mystery man you wouldn’t tell me about?”

Marinette scrunched her nose; confused for a moment before realizing Alya was referring to Chat Noir. A lot had happened in a short amount of time. “We definitely made out,” Marinette grinned. “Like, we made out a lot. And we cuddled a lot. He’s an excellent cuddler.”

“Ugh, he would be a cuddler. I guess they can’t all be sex gods like Nino,” Alya teased.

“Hey! I have no doubt that he, um…he will be great…and sex goddy…” Marinette felt her cheeks burning and covered her face.

“Now that is just adorable,” Alya laughed.

“Shut up.”

“I may have something in the works that might interest you,” Alya said, changing gears.

Marinette looked up and raised an eyebrow.

“I met with a model who ended up in the hospital from food deprivation for one of the Gabriel shows. I talked to her for a bit and now one of the male models is supposed to be meeting with me later today.”

“That’s great, Alya.”

There was a knock on the door and then it was opening before either girl could answer. “Hey Babe,” Nino greeted Alya with a kiss.

“Rude. Do you live here now?” Marinette grinned.

“Wow, look who decided to stop playing house with her boyfriend,” Nino shot back.

“Nathaniel?!” Marinette exclaimed, noticing the red head standing in the doorway.

“Hey, Mari,” Nathaniel waved shyly.

Marinette got up from the bed and hugged him tightly. “How have you been? I’ve hardly seen you since our 2D design class last year.”

“I’m good! Just trying to survive this last semester,” he laughed.

“So say we all,” Nino agreed. He turned to Alya. “Nath here thinks he might have some ideas on how to knock the almighty Agreste down a few pegs.”

__________________________

 

“Adrien, Dr. Marslock says you’ve gained over two pounds since your last weigh-in.”

Adrien glanced over at the stoic doctor before returning his attention to his father without replying.

“I would like to prescribe a week’s worth of water pills and a strong laxative to get him back on track,” the dietician offered, scribbling on his notepad. “As long as he takes these and stays on a strictly liquid diet, I see no reason why he can’t make goal weight by the show next week.” The man ripped the prescription sheet out and stood. “I’ll leave this with Nathalie on my way out.”

“As always, thank you, Dr. Marslock. Your help and digression is highly appreciated,” Gabriel said smoothly.

“And highly compensated,” Marslock replied. “Call me if you need anything further.”

Once they were alone, Gabriel returned his attention to his son. “I’ve had Nathalie schedule the rest of your exams to be sent here to be taken under her supervision. You will remain in the house until the show.”

Adrien stood. “You can’t keep me here. I’m an adult.”

“Legally, perhaps,” Gabriel conceded. “But mentally, emotionally, and financially, you are still a child and will be cared for as such.”

“I-I’m sorry, Father, but this is bullshit.”

“We have a long week ahead of us, Adrien. Go to your room and get some rest. I’ll send Nathalie with your first round of pills soon.”

Adrien walked out without another word.

___________________

 

 **Adrien:** Can I stay with you? Can’t stay here.

Marinette glanced at her cell phone screen discreetly as her professor droned on about the dangers of mixing patterns. 

**Marinette:** In class now. Go to my dorm. A is there.

 **Adrien:** Thanks. Love you.

 **Marinette:** Love you too.

____________________

 

“Adrien, hi,” Alya opened the door wider and let him in. She noticed the duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “Are you moving in?”

Adrien’s cheeks flushed. “No, I, uh, Mari told me…”

“Relax. You can stay as long as you need to.” Alya closed the door behind him.

“Thanks,” he said, relieved. “I promise not to be in your hair too long. I’m working on getting some stuff moved around so I can get my own place.”

“You’re moving out?” Alya asked, surprised. “Good for you, Agreste.” Her voice was a bit too cheerful.

Adrien sighed heavily. “How much do you know?”

“How much am I supposed to know?” Alya retorted, eyebrow raised.

“I’m not mad if Marinette talked to you about everything. I know she trusts you. She wouldn’t have told you about being Ladybug if she didn’t.”

Alya sputtered for a moment. “She told you she’s Ladybug?!”

“Well, yeah, it was only fair after she found out I…uh…”

“You’re Chat Noir,” Alya said flatly. “Of course, you’re Chat freakin’ Noir.”

“Hi,” he waved weakly.

“Well, thank goodness for that.” Plagg flew out of Adrien’s jacket pocket. “Plagg, nice to meet you. Now get me some food.”

“Plagg!”

“Get your own food, cat. Tikki can take care of herself so I’m guessing you can too,” Alya smirked.

“Ooo, I like her.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and sat down on Marinette’s bed. “You aren’t going to tell anyone, right?”

“You can trust me, Adrien.”

“I know.” He fidgeted with a loose thread on the blanket. “Hey, do you happen to know Marinette’s bank account information?”

__________________________

 

Nathalie finished moving the funds between accounts and closed her personal laptop, hiding it away in her suitcase. She had covered her tracks as well as she could. She thought she had been able to secretly transfer enough money over from Adrien’s trust to get him on his feet somewhere. She didn’t like the idea of moving the large sum into a stranger’s bank account but Adrien did seem to trust the young woman and time was apparently a factor.

She jumped when the intercom buzzed in front of her. She took in a breath and pushed the button, Gabriel’s face appearing before her. 

“Nathalie, have you taken Adrien’s first round of medication to him yet?”

“No sir. I just returned from retrieving it. I’ll take it now.”

Gabriel cut the video feed and Nathalie let herself droop. She was well aware that Adrien was no longer in his room. She was that one who had found him shaking in the hallway outside Gabriel’s closed office door after she had escorted Dr. Marslock out. She took him by the shoulders and led him to his room.

“I-I can’t d-do it anymore, Nat,” he said between clenched teeth. When he had looked up at her with those desperate green eyes, Nathalie knew she was going to help him get away.

“Pack a bag, clothes, toiletries, anything you think is important,” she instructed. “Do you have somewhere you can go? Maybe the girl you’ve been, uh, friendly with.”

“Marinette?”

“Yes, her.”

Adrien looked confused. “Nathalie, what’s going on?”

“Pack a bag quickly, Adrien. Get out of here, go stay somewhere you feel safe for the night. I’ll open a new account without Gabriel’s name on it so you’ll have some money.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I— because you’re a good man in a hard situation and I’m in the position to help you,” she explained out loud. ‘Because I love you. Because I’ve watched you grow from a sweet kid into a kind man and I can’t stand by anymore,’ she thought.

Adrien stood and wrapped too thin arms around her, hugging tightly. “Thank you, Nathalie.” He grabbed a large duffle bag from his closet and began to toss things inside. “Would you be able to put the money in Marinette’s account for me? It might take Father longer to realize if it isn’t in my name.”

“I don’t think that’s wise, Adrien.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’ll text you the account information as soon as I can.”

She had helped him get out the door without being seen and now Nathalie stood in Adrien’s empty room with a glass of water and a cup of pills she never intended for him to take.

___________________

 

Marinette blinked down at the bank notification on her phone. Apparently a little over two hundred thousand euros had been transferred into her account while she was in class. 

“What in the world have you done now, kitty?” she murmured as she hurried to her dorm.


	13. Chapter 13

“Kent put me in contact with five former models who are willing to come forward,” Alya said excitedly. “AND I talked to Circe again and she’s willing to go on record now. Apparently Gabriel sent her to the plus size models room for a fitting today.”

“Dick,” Nino spat. “She’s, like, the size of this pencil. Who is Kent?”

“The male model I talked with yesterday.”

“Right. The interview you wouldn’t let me be there for.”

“Really?”

Nino shrugged.

“Is someone feeling a little insecure? You let me hang out with Adrien. He’s a male model.”

Nino frowned and looked over at Adrien who was once again asleep in Marinette’s bed. His mouth was open and the thinnest line of drool was leaking out. “Yeah, I’m not really worried about Adrien actually.”

“You know you don’t have anything to worry about, right?” Alya placed a hand on his knee.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you goof. I’m totally in love with you.”

“What?” Nino’s eyes were wide.

“I-I..I said I’m totally over you!”

“What?!”

“Stop looking at me!” Alya shoved her hands in Nino’s face, throwing him off balance. He slid off the desk chair and hit the floor with a thud.

Adrien sat up and blinked, rubbing at his eyes. “Did someone say they love me?”

“Alya said she loved me,” Nino answered, standing up. “Damn, that hurt.” He rubbed his tailbone. “Good to know your gut reaction is to push me off a chair.”

Alya sat immobile, hands in her lap and head down. “I can’t believe I said that,” she mumbled.

Nino shot Adrien a quick look before kneeling down in front of his girlfriend. “If you didn’t mean it, that’s okay. We’ve all said stupid stuff before.”

Alya’s head shot up. “Of course I meant it, you dingus. I just didn’t plan to say it to you while we were talking about male models with Adrien drooling on Marinette’s pillow in the corner.” 

Adrien wiped at his mouth self-consciously, wincing at the wet spot on Marinette’s pink pillowcase. “I’m just going to step outside and give you guys some privacy.”

_______________________

 

“You’re back,” Adrien smiled and Marinette wondered what she had done to deserve someone who looked that happy every time he saw her. Maybe being Ladybug had made her lucky after all.

“I’m back.” She reached up on her tippy toes to kiss him. “Why are you in the hall?”

“Alya and Nino are having a moment and I wanted to give them some privacy.”

“You don’t have to leave so they can have sex. Nino has his own damn room.” Marinette grabbed for the door handle.

Adrien took her hand, laughing. “Nothing like that! Alya accidently said that she loves Nino and then apparently pushed him off the chair.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds right.” She grinned and then raised an eyebrow. “Hey, care to explain what two hundred thousand euros are doing in my bank account, mister?”

Adrien ducked his head sheepishly. “Nathalie wanted to make sure I had enough money to move out and I asked her to put it in your name?”

“You’re moving out? Money?” Marinette shook her head. “I was only in class for an hour and a half.”

“What can I say, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I work fast.”

“That you do, kitty. So explain what’s going on.”

“Here?” Adrien looked down the dormitory hall.

Marinette reached for the doorknob again only to stop when a loud moan sounded from the other side. “On second thought, how would you feel about meeting my parents today?”

__________________________

 

“Oh, Adrien, it’s so nice to meet you!” Sabine hugged him tightly. “You’re skin and bones. I insist you stay for dinner.”

Marinette coughed pointedly. 

“She’s embarrassed,” Sabine explained. “But it’s not everyday our daughter brings home such a nice, handsome young man.”

“It’s actually never happened before today,” Tom laughed, placing a large arm around Adrien’s shoulders. 

Marinette let out a groan.

“Well, I think Marinette is the most beautiful, sweetest, smartest, most amazing woman in the world and I believe I have you to thank for raising such a wonder,” Adrien said smoothly. 

“Oh my, he’s a keeper.” Sabine winked at her daughter.

“Come on, Adrien, I can show you my balcony while dinner is being prepared.” Marinette pried her boyfriend loose from her parents and led him up the stairs.

“Does she really think we don’t realize she had him here while we were gone?” Tom asked as he watched them disappear through the trapdoor.

“She also thinks we still don’t know she’s Ladybug,” Sabine smiled. “Just let her have this.”

_________________________

 

“Okay, you can confess your love and push me off a chair anytime you want if that happens afterwards.” Nino swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“I don’t think I can move yet,” Alya mumbled into the sheets.

“Shit, do you think Adrien’s still in the hall?” Nino cackled. “We’re probably bad friends.”

“Meh.”

“I really did a number on you, huh, Babe?” Nino leaned back against her prone figure. “You must really love me for it.”

“Shut up.”

“If you weren’t before, after that orgasm, you’re definitely in love with me.”

“I’m warning you, Lahiffe.”

“If you were to look up the definition for love in the diction— Aaaaargh!” Nino landed in a naked pile on the cold floor.

“Okay, I may have deserved it that time,” he conceded.

_________________________

 

“Wow, your own place. That’s exciting,” Marinette said.

“Yeah, um, so…how would you feel about it being our own place?” Adrien asked, cheeks turning pink. 

“Our?”

“Well, we’re both about to graduate hopefully and with the superhero thing and you’re my girlfriend and it seemed like a good idea but no pressure or anything…”

“Oy, Kid, that was pathetic,” Plagg winced. Tikki swatted him in the back of the head.

“You want to move in together? You and me and living in one place…” Marinette’s eyes were a little wide.

“Is it too fast? It’s too fast. Forget I said anything.” Adrien pulled away, cheeks flaming red.

“Hang on,” Marinette requested. “Just give me a second to process.” She chewed on her lip. “My parents aren’t going to like me moving in with a guy before marriage, but—“

“We can get married!”

Marinette gave him a flabbergasted look.

“Right, way too early for that. Check,” Adrien nodded to himself.

“Can I think about it for a couple of days?” Marinette stepped into Adrien’s space, wrapping her hands around his waist. “Everything has happened so fast and I just want to step back and look.”

Adrien’s eyes looked a little panicked but he nodded. 

Marinette placed a hand on his cheek. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere, promise. I just don’t want to rush into anything.”

“Anything you want, Princess.”

___________________________

 

“Where is he?” Gabriel’s voice was low and sharp.

Nathalie cleared her throat. “I believe, sir, that Adrien has moved out.”

“Moved out.”

“Yes sir.”

“And where has Adrien moved out to?”

“I’m not quite certain. It seems the GPS in his cell phone has been turned off,” she answered.

“I see.”

Nathalie stood with her back straight and head high. Inside, she trembled slightly.

“Well, we will just have to show him what it means to go out on your own. Freeze all accounts with Adrien’s name on them. Cut his cell phone service. Call the school and find out if there is any way to hold his diploma.”

“Sir, I doubt that will be possible, the diploma, not the other things.”

“Fine. Cut him off, Nathalie. We will see how long it takes him to come begging to be back home.”

“Yes sir.”

________________________

 

“Adrien, what are you planning on doing after graduation?” Tom asked, passing a bowl to the younger man.

“I was going to continue modeling but I think I’d like to take a break from that. My main concentration is business administration so maybe I can find a job doing something with that and see if it fits. I’ve just moved out of my house, so I’m currently looking for an apartment.”

“How interesting,” Sabine said. “Isn’t that interesting, Tom?”

“Yes, very,” Tom muttered.

Adrien could feel the change in atmosphere but couldn’t interpret it. He looked at Marinette helplessly.

“Alya and Nino finally started dating,” Marinette interjected.

“It’s about time,” Sabine smiled. “Those two have been dancing around each other for years.”

“Tell me about it.” Marinette winked at her boyfriend as Sabine launched into the drama of Nino and Alya.

_____________________

 

“Thanks for meeting me over here. I just wanted you to see what I made for the protest,” Nathaniel said, motioning to a large painting behind him.

“Nathaniel, this is…this is gorgeous.” Marinette walked around the large canvas to see it from all angles. “Beauty, not death. I love it.”

“Really?” he blushed.

“Absolutely!” Marinette hugged him. “Hey, have you and Adrien been officially introduced yet?”

Nathaniel and Adrien eyed each other. “Can’t say we have,” Nathaniel answered slowly.

“My bad! Adrien, this is Nathaniel. We’ve known each other forever and had a few classes together last year. Nathaniel, this is my boyfriend, Adrien. He’s kind of the driving force behind this whole Gabriel thing.”

“I didn’t realize you two were dating.”

“We are,” Adrien answered steadily.

Marinette looked between the two, confused. “Anyway, Alya told me you have a group of students that are going to protest?”

“Yeah, Alix, you remember Alix?”

Marinette nodded.

Nathaniel continued. “Alix leads this human rights type group and when they heard about the shit Gabriel Agreste puts models through, they immediately jumped on board. No offense, man.”

“None taken,” Adrien replied dryly. 

“Well, we should probably get back to the dorm. It’s been a long day.” Marinette hugged Nathaniel again. “Thank you so much for everything you’re doing to help!”

“If you need anything else, just ask,” he smiled at her.

“Thanks, Nath, have a good night,” she said.

Adrien wrapped his arm around Marinette’s shoulders and led her back out of the studio. “Well, that guy is totally into you.”

“What?”

“He wants to get in your pants.”

“Adrien!” Marinette swatted his arm. “Nathaniel is an old friend. It’s not like that between us.”

“Okay, sure. Also, you hug him way too much.”

“Watch it, buddy.”

“Sorry,” he said without any note of sincerity.

“Jealous kitty,” Marinette complained but snuggled in a little closer to his side.


	14. Chapter 14

“Oh, wow, look at this view!” Marinette leaned against the railing of the balcony. She beamed back at Adrien. “I think this place is perfect for you.”

“Just me?” 

“Adrien...”

The man sighed and walked back through the open doors. “Can you give me the run down again?” he asked the realtor.

“Two bedrooms, two baths, open floor plan…”

Marinette zoned out and closed her eyes. It almost felt like being on her balcony at home here. The sounds were similar and the breeze felt nice. This was the fifth place they’d looked at today and she thought it was the winner. Adrien didn’t seem to care one way or the other. He’d been moody ever since the first place they visited this morning when she told him she hadn’t made a decision. 

She knew he wanted her to say yes to moving in with him but she was scared. They had become very serious very fast. Everything with Adrien was so intense, but at the same time, it was so easy. Adrien was fun and goofy and kind and thoughtful. He was an amazing kisser and a champion cuddler. But he was also so emotionally damaged that Marinette could feel her energy draining away quicker and quicker with each passing day. 

“Mari?” Adrien’s voice broke through her thoughts. He was standing in the doorway.

“I’m sorry. I zoned out for a minute,” she tried to smile but she couldn’t quite manage it.

“I said I’m going to sign the papers for this place if you think I should.”

“Do you like it?”

He looked around and shrugged.

“We can keep looking. You should like the place you’re going to call home,” Marinette tried again.

“It’s just a building.”

“Do what you want then,” she replied irritated.

Adrien looked back at the realtor inside. “Could you give us a minute?” The woman nodded and stepped out of the apartment.

“You’re mad at me,” Adrien said quietly.

“I’m not mad. I’m…I’m frustrated.”

“Why?”

Marinette threw her hands up in the air. “I want to help you, Adrien, but you have to do a little of it yourself! I feel like you want me to make all of the decisions and…and I can’t.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” His voice shook.

“What? No. We’re just talking,” she replied roughly. Seeing his hanging head, Marinette quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hey, look at me.”

Adrien looked up and his eyes were filled with so much emotion that Marinette had to glance away. She took a breath and looked back at him. “You need to start doing some things for you, okay? I don’t want to take the place of your father.”

Adrien flinched and looked back down. 

Marinette inhaled deeply. “How do you really feel about the places we’ve looked at today?”

“Like I said, they’re just buildings.”

“One of them could be your home.”

“You’re my home,” he said quietly. “I can’t do this without you.”

“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“I’m not though.”

Marinette tilted his head so he had to look at her. “You chose to start taking care of yourself. You chose to get out of a bad home situation. You chose to become the hero Paris needs even though it isn’t always easy or fun. All those choices took strength.”

Adrien didn’t reply.

“I’m sorry I snapped. It’s just sometimes you look at me like…like I’m the sun and that’s a lot of pressure. I can’t be the sun for you, Adrien.” Marinette dropped her hand from his face and wrapped her arms around her torso. “Sometimes I get mad and sometimes I cry for no reason and sometimes I cry for very good reasons. I sleep late and I will procrastinate until the day I die and…and I like to drink milk straight from the jug in the middle of the night when no one’s around…I-I’m flawed and insecure and I’m not perfect…and I guess I’m terrified you’re going to wake up one day and realize that the person you think I am doesn’t exist.”

A dog barked somewhere below them and the breeze blew Adrien’s bangs across his forehead. “I know you’re not perfect,” he finally said.

“Oh…good…”

“I’m sorry I’ve made you feel like that, but, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I don’t want perfect.” He gave her a wry smile. “I’ve been around perfect my whole life and know with certainty that there’s no such thing.”

“I’ve always been so alone. My chest literally ached as if something was missing inside me. I thought maybe I was broken because I lost my mom so early or maybe it was because I’ve never had friends…but I think…maybe it was because I was waiting on you.”

“If you say she completes you, I’m going to barf,” Plagg warned from Marinette’s purse.

Adrien blushed and Marinette giggled. She reached up and brushed his hair from his eyes. As she began to pull away, he grabbed her hand and nuzzled his cheek into it. “I just want to be in your life however you’ll have me, friend, partner, boyfriend, lover, husband. Please just stay with me. I’ll be happy as long as you’re with me.”

“Adrien…Chat.”

“You’re my home,” he said again, eyes closed and cheek still nuzzling her hand.

And suddenly Marinette knew how things between them had snowballed so quickly because somehow he had become her home too.

_________________________

 

“This is amazing,” Alya marveled, looking over the first sheet of paper in the stack.

“It could change,” Circe warned, “but right now, this is the rundown of the whole show, people involved, timing, wardrobe assignments, everything.”

“Obviously some things have already changed,” Kent added. “We’re still on the roster so others will be put in our places.”

“Still, this is really helpful. I’m going to make a copy for Alix. She’s the one rounding up the student protestors.”

Circe glanced at Kent. “We’d like to be a part of the protest too.”

“Really?” Alya grinned. “That would be awesome. I’ve already tipped off a couple of media outlets. Having you guys there would make an even bigger statement.”

“This could be the end of our careers in fashion,” Kent commented, lightly scratching at the denim on his designer jeans.

“Hopefully it’s the beginning of something else though,” Circe said softly. “Something new.”

Alya nodded. “Something new.”

___________________________

 

“Dude, I’m totally jealous. I want to move in.” Nino ducked his head into one of the bedrooms. 

Adrien scuffed his shoe along the hardwood floor. “You probably could. I don’t think Marinette wants to live with me after all.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just nervous. This is all kind of new.”

“You’ll be fine, man. Pretty people always are.”

Adrien laughed. “Jealous?”

Nino smirked. “Why would I be? I’m one of the pretty people.”

“That you are.”

Nino took off his hat and scratched his head. “Hey, I feel like I should apologize for the other day. You were nice enough to give us some privacy and we, uh, may have taken advantage of that.” His cheeks flushed.

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I know. I heard.”

“Dude.”

“Don’t worry. Marinette saved me before things got too scandalous,” he grinned. “Alya saying she loves you though, that was a big deal, huh?”

“So I don’t want to get too mushy or anything, but I’ve been in love with her since, like, the first day I met her. I didn’t know what to do with myself the day after we had sex for the first time. Like, dude, I literally couldn’t stop smiling the entire day. I didn’t realize that she would torment me for a couple of years after that, but it looks like it has all worked out.”

“I’m really happy for you guys.”

“We’re happy for you guys too. I’m glad things worked out with you and Marinette. Apparently she had started hanging out with some mystery guy she wouldn’t tell us about and it really had Alya worried. She was threatening to install cameras in the room to spy.” Nino rolled his eyes but a goofy grin was plastered on his face.

“Yeah,” Adrien coughed to hide a laugh.

_____________________

 

“Hawk Moth is such a dick,” Chat Noir complained, taking a seat on the roof ledge beside Ladybug. He swung his legs, heels tapping against the brick.

“That was a rough one,” Ladybug admitted, tilting her head to the side to stretch her neck. “I know the Cure fixed everything but I still feel sore.”

“I can give you a massage if you’d like,” Chat offered.

“That’s okay. Thanks though.”

His black cat ears drooped a little. “Nino helped me pick out some furniture today. Some of it was delivered earlier and the rest should come by this weekend.”

“That’s great,” Ladybug smiled at him. “I can’t wait to see what you picked out.”

“Do you…do you want to stay with me tonight?” He looked out at the city lights so he couldn’t see her face when she rejected him. “I have to warn you that I only have a mattress on the floor right now. The bed frame is one of the weekend items.”

“I’d love to stay with you, kitty.” Ladybug leaned over and kissed his cheek. 

Chat Noir sighed in a relief. “O-okay, good.”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. Would you really be content only being my partner and friend?” She took one of his clawed hands and turned it over, tracing little patterns on his gloved palm.

“I…I told you I’ll be whatever you want me to be,” he replied tightly.

“But would it make you happy to just be my friend?”

“Why are you asking me this?” he asked in a shaky voice.

Ladybug stopped running her finger along his palm and looked up. “I want you to be completely honest with me and tell me what you want to be to me. Don’t think about me or what I may or may not want. I want you to tell me what role you want to play in my life.”

“I want to be whatever you—“

“No, Chat. What do YOU want?”

“If you just want me to be your friend, that’s okay—“

“Nope.”

Chat Noir growled in frustration.

“Adrien Chat Noir Agreste, tell me what you want to be to me!” Ladybug demanded.

“I want to be your everything!” he screamed. “I want to be the first person you see every morning and the last person you see every night. I-I want to be the only one to hold you and kiss you and…and touch you. I want to be with you every day for the rest of my life and if you told me you only wanted to be my friend, I would accept it and it would kill me inside.” Chat Noir breathed out harshly, shoulders heaving. 

Ladybug intertwined her hand in his. “Thank you.”

“For what?” his voice was hoarse now.

“Being honest. That’s all I wanted. Now take me to our home, Chat.”

___________________________

 

“Marinette’s staying at Adrien’s new place tonight,” Alya said, putting her phone back on the nightstand.

“So that means I can stay here?” Nino flipped to another channel on the small television in the corner.

“Does your roommate even know you’re still alive?” Alya laughed.

“I saw him today when I went back to shower and change. He says hello.”

“Tell Ivan I said hello back when you see him in another week or so.”

“Do you not like me staying around here so much?” Nino looked at her unsure.

“I love you staying here so much.”

He smiled at her. 

“Actually, I’ve been thinking of after graduation.”

“Yeah?” Nino asked.

“Yeah. I always planned on finding a small place with Marinette but I have a feeling that might not be in the cards now.”

“Adrien said she wasn’t moving in with him.”

“Adrien is an oblivious idiot.”

“Would you be interested in something like that, getting a place together?” Nino ran a hand lightly up her arm.

Alya shivered. “That thought may have crossed my mind.”

“I don’t have a lot of money,” Nino warned.

“Good thing you’re so cute then. Now give me that remote. You suck at channel surfing.”

¬¬¬¬¬¬____________________________

 

Marinette listened to the steady rhythm of Adrien’s heartbeat as he slept soundly beside her. She ran light fingers across his protruding ribs. His skin was still stretched too tight across his frame but he was really trying. He had eaten his whole salad and half a plate of spaghetti without any prompting on her part.

Dinner overall had been nice. They sat on the floor around a small lamp plugged into an extension cord, eating Italian takeout and sharing stories. He had laughed when she told him about the time she tangled herself up in her yo-yo so bad she had to wait for her transformation to run out until she could get free. She smiled when he told her about how beautiful his mom had been and how she would put on fashion shows for him and his toys.

They had wrapped his new mattress in fresh sheets and shyly stripped down to their underwear and crawled into bed together. Marinette snuggled herself into Adrien’s side, head resting on his chest and that’s where she still was.

She went back over his brazen confession earlier in the night. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from pushing him further and further. She needed to know what he wanted from her. Sure, they had made out (quite a few times), but she felt like she had mostly just taken care of him while he was going through a hard time. Maybe the kissing had just been another form of comfort for him. She had known she could never go back to being just friends with him and she needed to know he felt the same way.

“I want to be your everything,” he had yelled.

She smiled and whispered against his skin, “You are.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Adrien, how are you?” Nathalie asked softly into the phone.

“I’m better,” he replied. “I’m getting better,” he amended.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

“Thank you for all your help. I’m settled into my new place and have furniture and everything,” he said happily.

Nathalie couldn’t stop the smile that came from the sound of his voice. “I’m very glad.”

“I’d…I’d like to schedule a meeting with my father,” he requested uncertainly.

Nathalie did not want Adrien to see Gabriel. The designer had been on a warpath since the day his son had moved out without a word. “He’s very busy preparing for the show. I don’t know that he has any free time…”

“He’ll see me, Nathalie. You know he will.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“It’s something I have to do.”

Nathalie sighed and pulled up Gabriel’s schedule. “He has an opening at three today.”

“I’ll be there.”

_______________________

 

“I kicked that exam in the ass!” Alya yelled in greeting. She tossed her purse to the floor and dropped on Marinette’s bed beside her.

“Some of us are trying to study because we haven’t all taken our exams yet.”

“Some of you should stop being such a spoilsport,” Alya grinned and laid a sloppy kiss on her best friend’s cheek.

“Gross!” Marinette laughed and wiped at her cheek. Alya licked her lips and kissed her cheek again, giggling. 

“Is this a dream? I’ve had dreams that start like this.” Nino stood in the open doorway. Two pillows hit him at the same time.

“Who do you think you’re fooling, Lahiffe? You couldn’t handle the two of us,” Alya smirked.

“Oh, I know. I’m usually just a spectator.”

Marinette grabbed her last pillow and chunked it at the man.

“Where’s Adrien?”

“We’re not joined at the hip, you know.” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“We’re not?” Adrien stepped into the room with a big smile.

“Remember the days when it was just you and me?” Alya asked, laying her head on Marinette’s shoulder.

“They feel like a distant memory.”

_______________________

 

“Adrien, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Marinette sighed.

“You sound like Nathalie.”

“And you sound like you don’t care what we think.”

Adrien ran a hand through his hair anxiously. “It’s not that. Before this big protest thing happens, I just want to talk to him.”

“What good could possibly come from it?”

“I don’t know,” he huffed. “It just feels like the right thing to do!”

“Why don’t you call Nathalie back and cancel the appointment? We can go to the bakery after my exam and see what kind of treats we can mooch off my parents.”

“I’d…I would really like it if you’d support me on this.”

Marinette sighed. “This means that much to you?”

Adrien nodded.

“Okay, kitty, I support you.” She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “But if he upsets you, Ladybug is going to kick his ass.”

“Deal,” Adrien smiled. 

_________________________

 

“Adrien.”

“Father.”

The two men stood facing each other, the large desk between them. 

“Have you come back?” Gabriel asked, taking a seat.

“I won’t be coming back to live here, Father.” Adrien sat down in his usual chair.

“I see. And how have you managed that?”

“My girlfriend is helping me out.”

Gabriel leaned back in his chair. “I always expected you would become a kept trophy, Adrien, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. Miss Dupain-Cheng must be well off to keep you in the kind of lifestyle you’re accustomed to.”

“I don’t require much.”

“You’ve gained weight, I see. Is this some form of rebellion for you? Cheating on your diet and moving in to be a pretty whore for someone who will take care of you? You’ve always been a bit dense, Son, but I didn’t think this would happen.” Gabriel sighed as if put out by the whole thing. “Come home, Adrien. You won’t be fit for tomorrow’s show, of course, but we will try again in the fall. You should be coming into the office now that you’re graduating, taking your rightful place at Gabriel.”

Adrien squeezed his left hand into a fist, fingernails biting into the skin of his palm. “F-father, I said I’m not coming back here.”

Gabriel simply looked at him.

Adrien loosened his fist and took a deep breath. “I know I’m messed up, but I-I’m working on it. I don’t entirely blame you. I should have started standing up for myself a long time ago.”

“Is that what you’re doing?” Gabriel drawled. “Standing up for yourself?”

“Yes.”

“And if I offered Miss Dupain-Cheng a starting position at Gabriel on the design staff, would you still stand up for yourself?”

“Y-yes.”

“Do you think she would stand up for you still?” Gabriel leaned forward. “Perhaps I should call her now. Offer her everything she has been working towards. It can all be hers if she convinces you to come back home.” Gabriel pressed the intercom. “Nathalie, please get Marinette Dupain-Cheng on the phone.”

“Yes sir,” Nathalie responded.

“Well, Adrien?”

“She loves me.”

“Does she now?” Gabriel placed a hand under his chin. “Perhaps this is the wrong tactic. Perhaps I should have Miss Dupain-Cheng blackballed from every design company in Europe. She won’t even be able to secure a job refilling racks in a department store by the time I finish.”

“W-why?” Adrien asked softly.

Gabriel’s face softened. “To prove a point. I’m only trying to get through to you, my lovely boy. I’m the only one in this world who loves you and wants to take care of you. Everyone else will only use you.”

“Marinette’s not like everyone else.”

“Sir,” Nathalie’s voice interrupted. “I’m afraid I am unable to reach Miss Dupain-Cheng at this time.”

“Very well.” Gabriel took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I only ever wanted to share your beauty with the world, Adrien.”

“I’m not beautiful, Father. I’m broken.”

“What did you think beauty was?”

_________________________

 

“Hey, talk to me.” Marinette pulled on Adrien’s shoulder until he rolled into her.

“He threatened you.”

“Okay.”

“He could do it, Mari. Everything you’ve worked for…he could take it all away.” Adrien’s shoulders hunched up. 

“Why threaten me?”

“He sees you as the person who took me away. He said…he said I’m a pretty whore who needed to be taken care of.”

Marinette laughed and Adrien looked at her with wide, shocked eyes.

“I’m sorry, but if you’re just a pretty whore, you’re doing an awful job!” she giggled.

“W-what?”

“We’ve only ever kissed after all.”

Adrien huffed. “I don’t think he meant a literal whore…or maybe he did, I don’t know. He wouldn’t stop talking.”

Marinette calmed down and kissed his cheek. “Did you get whatever it was you wanted to get out of the conversation?”

“No, but I think I was being too optimistic to begin with,” he sighed. “I didn’t back down though…mostly. I think that was good.”

“I think so too.” Marinette snuggled against his chest.

“He’s my father. He’s the only family I have left. I don’t want things to be like this.”

“Maybe with time they won’t be.”

“Maybe.” Adrien chewed on his lip. “Hey, how’d your last exam go?”

“Pretty well, I think. This time next week, I’ll be an official graduated adult ready to flounder my way through life.”

Adrien smiled. “Please. You’re going to kick ass and you know it.”

“With you by my side.”

“Always.”

_______________________

 

“Nervous?” Nino asked as Alya spun to pace back the way she had just come.

“My story should be uploading any minute. Did you refresh yet?”

Nino turned and hit the refresh button. “Still nada.”

Alya groaned and continued her pacing.

“Babe, the piece is great. You had good sources and quotes and you set up the protest tomorrow. Everything is going to be fine.”

“This just feels like a really big deal.”

“It is a big deal. You’re accusing a large company of abuse and slavery.”

“I think I’m going to throw up.” Alya raced into the bathroom. Nino winced.

_______________________

 

“Is it just me or does it seem like Hawk Moth is extra pissed lately?” Chat Noir dusted off his hands. “These akumas have been killer.”

“Yeah, something is definitely going on,” Ladybug agreed. Her earrings let out a loud beep. “We better get back to your place before we turn back into pumpkins!”

“Say that again.” Chat Noir sauntered towards her. 

Ladybug took a few steps back. “The pumpkin thing?” she laughed.

“The my place thing,” he clarified, advancing.

“We better get back to your place,” Ladybug grinned. 

Chat Noir closed the distance between them. “My place, huh?” He pushed forward just a little more so that his hips were pinning her to the brick wall. “You sure about that?”

“Pretty sure.”

Chat Noir leaned in and kissed the bit of bare skin at her neck. “Whose place?”

“Y-your place,” Ladybug said as Chat shifted his hips forward.

He nipped at her earlobe. “I’m sorry. I must not have heard you correctly, My Lady. One more time?”

Ladybug groaned and her earrings let out a loud beep before pink light rushed up her body.

“Marinette,” Tikki complained, holding her head.

“It’s his fault!”

“Looks like I’ll just have to escort my Princess to her castle,” Chat Noir grinned, stepping back.

“Our castle,” Marinette corrected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I would start the protest in this chapter but it will happen in the next one. :)


	16. Chapter 16

“BEAUTY, NOT DEATH! BEAUTY, NOT DEATH! BEAUTY, NOT DEATH!”

“I’m Samantha Nunin here with Alya Cesaire, writer of the piece ‘Beauty, Not Death’ that has spurred this protest today at the Gabriel Summer Show. Ms. Cesaire, tell us how this all came about.”

Alya took a deep breath. “A friend of mine was a model for Gabriel. Some mutual friends and I noticed him losing too much weight too fast to the point of looking sick. When we confronted him about it, we found out that Gabriel Agreste was putting his models under insane restrictions to prepare for this show.”

“Some would argue that one of the hazards of the fashion industry is the pressure of starvation and food deprivation. If someone chooses this line of work, shouldn’t they be prepared to do what is required?” the reporter antagonized.

“I believe there is doing what is required for a job and being abused,” Alya shot back. “These models have signed legal contracts. For most of them, this is their only avenue of income and I think that Gabriel Agreste has exploited that. There are some individuals in his organization that feel trapped while others have truly been brainwashed into thinking that his way is the only form of beauty.”

“The title of your piece and chant that is going right now if you viewers at home can hear it is ‘Beauty, Not Death’. Isn’t that a bit dramatic?”

“My friend is finally getting the help he needs to bounce back from what he has experienced as a Gabriel model. Others might not be so lucky. In the piece, I cite three Gabriel models who have been hospitalized due to the dietary and weight restrictions for a show. In each case, these individuals were close to death by the time they received medical attention.” 

Samantha Nunin nodded. “Rumor has it that Adrien Agreste, son of Gabriel founder and president Gabriel Agreste, is one of the models that has dropped out of the show due to medical concerns over weight loss.”

Alya found Adrien a little in front of them in the crowd. He gave her a stiff nod and Alya saw Marinette intertwine her arm in his. Alya cleared her throat. “Yes, that’s correct.”

_____________________

 

“Adrien, your father would like to see you inside,” Nathalie said in way of greeting after crossing the line of protesters. 

“Why?” Marinette asked, stepping a little in front of her boyfriend.

“He says he needs to apologize. He’s asked that you come too, Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette looked back at Adrien. She saw him rub at the silver ring on his finger. He wanted to transform and run away. She knew the feeling. “What do you want to do?”

Adrien shifted his weight, pulled his dark cap lower on his head, and sighed. “Lead the way, Nathalie.”

____________________

 

“You were amazing, babe.” Nino kissed her cheek. “The reported kept trying to argue with you and you just Shut. It. Down.”

“I did pretty great, didn’t I?” Alya smiled. “I hope Adrien was okay with it. I know we started this because of him but I didn’t want to drag him too deep into it publicly if he wasn’t ready.”

The pair looked out at the group of chanting protestors that had gathered for the event. Circe and Kent were holding up signs and Alya spotted a couple of the other former Gabriel models she had met over the last couple of weeks.

“I hope this makes a difference,” Alya said, leaning into Nino. “After talking with the models, it scares me how someone could influence this level of self-harm.”

_____________________

 

Adrien could tell that the protest going on outside had little to no effect on the show once he was in the building. The seats were packed and the steady strum of cheering and applause rang through the event hall even where they were backstage. The show had only just begun.

Nathalie led them to a small dressing room at the end of a hall. The paper sign had “Adrien Agreste” typed in thick letters. Adrien looked at the sign and then back to his father’s assistant, confused.

Nathalie took a deep breath. “Gabriel would still like you to be in the show. He had your outfits reworked to fit.”

Adrien stepped back and Marinette squeezed his hand gently.

“It’s ultimately your choice, of course, Adrien,” Nathalie pushed on. “I told him I would bring you in and show you.”

“This is his apology?” Adrien’s voice was strained but Marinette couldn’t decipher the emotion behind it.

“He plans to speak with you after the show himself, if you will be here.”

Adrien looked down, eyelashes fluttering as he thought. He glanced back at Marinette who smiled at him encouragingly. “Whatever you want to do,” she said, trying not to reveal that she really wanted to drag him back outside before Gabriel could rip his heart up again. 

“Let me see the outfits,” Adrien requested.

Nathalie nodded and opened the dressing room door, allowing them inside. Marinette’s stomach dropped but she followed in and shut the door behind her.

_________________________

 

Adrien was gorgeous. Marinette had known that since the first day she saw him, of course, but this was something different. This wasn’t Adrien the college student or Chat Noir. This was Adrien Agreste, beautiful male model. Marinette thought it was almost as if someone had opened up Student Adrien and poured half of him out and filled him back up with half Chat Noir. He was in his element here.

A woman swept back his golden hair and a man applied stage makeup, both cooing over him. Adrien’s eyes were bright and he laughed at something man said.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I presume,” a voice behind here said.

Marinette turned to find herself facing Gabriel Agreste. His blue eyes were assessing behind his designer glasses. A year ago, Marinette would have been lightheaded and stuttering at the prospect of meeting this man. Now she just wanted to punch him in the face.

“Gabriel Agreste,” she responded, voice as bland as she could manage.

“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” Gabriel watched the stylists flutter around his son. “He was made for this.”

“If he’s perfect, why try to change him?” Marinette half winced at the bitter tone in her voice. She was off balance and uncomfortable. She had thought about all the things she would say to Gabriel if she ever got the chance, but her mind had emptied out upon his appearance.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand this world yet, Miss Dupain-Cheng, but if you continue with your career, someday you will.”

“I would never try to change Adrien,” she declared strongly.

Gabriel’s lips tugged at the corners. “But, Miss Dupain-Cheng, you already have.” He placed a slender hand on her shoulder and gently spun her so she could clearly see a runway assistant adjusting the hem of Adrien’s pants. “Adrien has always done exactly what I asked of him. Every show, every photo shoot, every time I requested something, he obeyed…until he met you.”

Adrien looked up at the moment and his eyes widened when they met with Marinette’s. She tried to smile at him but it felt more like a grimace.

“Even now he looks to you. He won’t come over here unless you indicate you want him to intercede.”

Sure enough, Adrien stayed where he was, eyes never leaving hers. His expression was anxious. Marinette slowly shook her head and managed a smile. Adrien looked at her a moment more before his attention was torn away by the runway assistant messing with his collar. 

“You see, whether either of you wants to admit it, I know my son very well. I’ve decided to let him play house with you for now, Miss Dupain-Cheng. And when you tire of caring for him, and you will, I will take him back. He will always belong to me; I’m just letting you borrow him.” Gabriel’s hand finally slipped from her shoulder and he left her standing there alone.

Adrien caught her eye and raised his eyebrows in question. She walked to him to kiss his cheek and wish his good luck but she could feel Gabriel’s words chilling her blood with every step.

________________________

 

“One of the girls just texted me that Adrien is inside getting ready for the runway,” Circe said, shoving her cell phone at Alya.

“What the hell?!” Alya looked at the photo of Adrien laughing while a woman messed with his hair. “I can’t believe he would do this.”

“I can’t believe I possibly ruined my career for this.” Circe pulled out a cigarette with a shaky hand.

“Maybe there’s an explanation,” Nino offered.

“Or maybe the Agreste apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” Nathaniel interjected.

Alya had her phone out and was already furiously texting.

_____________________

 

 **Alya:** Is Adrien really walking in the show?

 **Marinette:** Yes :(

 **Alya:** Why the hell is he doing this?

Marinette looked down at the screen. She tried to type in a few things to make him walking in the show seem like a good idea but ended up erasing them every time. 

**Marinette:** I don’t know.

________________________

 

Adrien unbuttoned the shirt of his last outfit for the show. It had been tailored perfectly to him in this weird in-between weight he was in. Everything he had worn tonight had been perfect. His father must have worked very hard to get the new pieces done in the little time between their last meeting and the show.

There was a soft knock at the door and Marinette peeked in. “Can I come in?”

“Of course!” Adrien met her at the door and pulled her inside. “How’d I do?” he asked shyly.

“You looked like you were really enjoying yourself.” Marinette took hold of the open sides of his shirt and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

“I did have fun,” he admitted. He stepped back and slid the shirt off. “So, uh, I saw you talking to my father.”

“Yeah, he wanted to introduce himself.”

“He didn’t say anything…” Adrien seemed to struggle for a moment, “rude?”

“I like these pants on you.” Marinette hooked her pointer fingers in the belt loops and pulled him closer. “They make your butt look super cute.”

“Are you changing the subject?”

Marinette was saved from answering when there was a knock at the door. Adrien studied her face before calling, “Come in.”

Gabriel stepped into the room, Nathalie right behind him. “Ah, good, you’re both here. I would like to take you to dinner to celebrate our success if you will join me.”

Adrien looked down at Marinette in question. 

‘Even now he looks to you.’ Gabriel’s earlier words echoed in her head. She thought they had made progress but Adrien was still looking to her to make his decisions, wasn’t he? He seemed to do better when it was just the two of them but add anyone else into the mix…

“I’m a little tired,” she said and saw his face fall just a bit. “But if you want to go, you should.”

“I…” Adrien turned to Gabriel and Nathalie. “I’m sorry, Father, I don’t think tonight will work out. Maybe another time?” he asked hopefully.

Gabriel nodded. “Of course.” He held Marinette’s eye for a moment. “Have a good night. We’ll talk soon.”


	17. Chapter 17

“I’m going to go sleep at the dorm tonight,” Marinette said, putting their dinner dishes in the sink.

“Oh, um, is everything okay?” Adrien asked, surprised.

“I think Alya is a little upset and I want to be there for her.”

“Why is she upset? Did something happen with the protest?”

Marinette sighed and turned off the water. “Adrien, she’s upset that you walked in the show. She, Nino, Nathaniel, and the others put this whole protest together because of you and you doing the show kind of…I think they saw it as a slap in the face.”

Adrien sat down heavily on the bar stool. “I didn’t even think of that.”

“I know,” she replied quietly.

“Let me come with you. I’ll apologize and we can take them out for drinks or something.”

“Maybe it’s best if I talk to them alone first.”

“Right…okay.”

Marinette kissed his cheek. “I’ll text you before bed, okay?”

“O-okay.”

“Hey,” she tilted his chin up so he would have to look at her. “Did you enjoy doing the show tonight?”

“Yes.” His voice was soft.

“That’s all I need to know then.” She pressed a light kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…”

________________________

 

“Where’s yo boy, Mari?! I need to piece him a give of my mind!” Alya slurred.

Nino shrugged helplessly. “She may have been a little upset and the bartender here is terrified of her so by the time I got here, she was three sheets to the wind.”

Marinette nodded. “I’m sorry, Al. Adrien’s not coming tonight.”

“He did the thing and he wasn’t going to do the thing but then he did the thing and they are so mad!”

“Circe and the other models are upset that Adrien still walked in the show,” Nino translated. “There may have been some words and some blame thrown around and Alya may have tried to punch Kent.”

“What stopped her?”

“We did,” Nathaniel answered, handing Marinette a beer. “And it wasn’t easy. Your girlfriend is crazy strong, man.”

“Don’t I know it,” Nino agreed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really know what to say.” Marinette nursed the beer. “I don’t know if Adrien is ever going to let himself be completely free of Gabriel.”

“You have no reason to apologize,” Nathaniel replied. “No one is mad at you.”

“I wish you guys weren’t mad at him. I get it, I just wish you weren’t.”

“Mari, is Adrien really the kind of guy you want to mess around with? I mean, if you think Gabriel is always going to be a part of his life, won’t this kind of stuff happen constantly?” Nathaniel put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m worried about you.”

“Adrien’s a good guy, dude. You know how hard family stuff can be sometimes,” Nino said.

“Adrien’s an assssssssssss,” Alya giggled. 

“And I think that’s my cue to get this one home.” Nino stood and pulled Alya up with him. “You coming back to the dorm tonight?”

“No, you guys go ahead. Make sure she drinks plenty of water.”

Nino nodded and led the stumbling Alya out the door.

“Want another drink?” Nathaniel asked when it was just the two of them.

“I better not. I have been accused more than once of being a lightweight,” she laughed.

“Maybe next time then,” he grinned at her. “Where are you staying if not at the dorm?”

“I’m going to go home tonight. I’ve only seen my parents once since they got back from their trip so I’ll do breakfast with them and hang out until graduation rehearsal.”

“Need a ride?”

“I’ve got it covered, thanks.” She drained the rest of her bottle and stood. “Thanks for the drink and for helping with the protest. It seemed like a success overall, possible punchings aside.”

Nathaniel nodded. “Hey, if you ever need to talk or vent or anything, I’m here.” 

“Thanks, Nath.” She hugged him and walked out into the night.

________________________

 

“Marinette.”

Marinette groaned and snuggled her blanket tighter around her. 

“Marinette, I think Chat is on the roof,” Tikki whispered into her ear.

Marinette opened one eye. She could barely make out the kwami’s silhouette in the moonlight. “Wh-huh?”

“Chat Noir is on your balcony.”

Yawning and stretching, Marinette sat upright. She crawled to the edge of the bed and stood up, lifting the skylight. Chat Noir was curled up on her lounger with his back to her. His tail fell limply to the ground in a coil.

“Chat?”

He sat up quickly, eyes wide. “Did I wake you? I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

She squinted at him and lifted the skylight higher. “Get in here.”

He scrambled off the lounger and slid down beside her, settling on the edge of the bed. 

Marinette rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Adrien, what are you doing here?”

“You said you were going to sleep in the dorm.”

She looked a little taken aback. “I was but when I met up with everyone, Alya was drunk and Nino was taking her back to the dorm and I just didn’t…wait, how did you know I wasn’t there?”

Chat Noir ran a clawed finger lightly over her blanket and watched its progress. “You said you were going to text before bed and you never did so…so I thought I would transform and just make sure you were okay. And then you weren’t in your dorm and I got nervous and I came here.”

“And then you decided to take a cat nap on my balcony?”

“I just wanted to be near you,” he mumbled.

Marinette closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry I forgot to text. By the time I got here, I was exhausted and fell right asleep.”

“It’s okay.” He still hadn’t looked up at her, finger running along the blanket.

“Stay here,” she commanded and climbed down the ladder. She could feel his eyes on her as she lifted the trapdoor and disappeared down the stairs.

Marinette snuck through the living room and down the stairs to the bakery. She grabbed a couple of the cheese Danishes from the previous day and made her way back up stairs. She reentered her room and dropped the Danishes on the Tikki’s plate of cookies.

“Detransform,” she demanded, climbing back up the ladder. Green light immediately flashed through the dark room and Adrien was left sitting on her bed, looking nervous. “Cheese Danishes are the best I can do tonight, Plagg,” she said.

“You’re the best, Bugsy.” Plagg zipped down to the waiting food, Tikki following.

“Lay down.”

Adrien scooted backwards a little and lay down. Marinette snuggled in beside him. 

“Are you mad at me?” he asked quietly.

Marinette sighed. “I’m not mad, Adrien.”

“O-okay, good.”

“You can hold onto me if you want to,” Marinette said when she noticed how stiff he was behind her.

He tentatively put an arm around her waist. She pushed back against him and his arm tightened. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair.

____________________________

 

“Did you sleep okay?” Marinette asked, turning her upper body towards him. 

Adrien nodded, eyes big. “I had…um…interesting dreams.”

“You may have moaned a bit at one point.”

“Shit.” Adrien closed his eyes as his cheeks flamed red.

Marinette had to keep herself from closing the small distance between them to see if he was still being affected by the dreams. She hadn’t been able to control herself last night when she woke to him softly moaning her name. She had snuggled herself as tightly as she could to him, her back to his chest and their hips lined up, and she could very much feel that he was enjoying his dream.

“Anything you’d like to share?” she teased.

Adrien groaned. “You’ll think I’m a freak.”

She completely turned herself around to face him. “You can tell me anything. No judgment, I promise.”

He stared at her for a minute and swallowed. “I, uh, I kind of really liked it when you were telling me what to do last night,” he mumbled.

“Huh?”

Somehow Adrien’s cheeks got even redder. “You, um, you told me to, uh, stay and detransform, and, uh, lay down and you were just…commanding, I guess? And then I dreamed about you telling me to do some…other things and it, uh, it was nice?”

“Are you asking me if it was nice or telling me?”

He gulped. “T-telling you.”

“Hmmm.” 

Adrien’s eyes got wide. “I’m not saying you need to do that! You asked what I dreamed and I was just telling you and—“

“Hush.”

Adrien’s mouth snapped shut, eyes still wide.

“So you want me to—“

“Marinette, are you up here?” Sabine asked as the trapdoor began to lift.

“Down,” Marinette hissed and pulled the blankets up over Adrien. She sat up and leaned forward to try to hide the Adrien-shaped lump beside her. “Hey, Maman. I came in late last night and didn’t want to bother you and Papa.”

“What a nice surprise. Your father just finished filling the display case. Do you want to come down and join us for breakfast?”

“Sure, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Sabine nodded and turned to go down the stairs. “Oh, Adrien, you’re welcome too, of course.” She laughed lightly and let the door drop closed behind her.

“Holy cats,” Adrien muttered under the blankets. “Your dad is going to murder me for sleeping in the same bed as his daughter.”

“At least he’ll probably let you eat a few pastries first.”

________________________

 

“Look who’s here for breakfast, honey,” Sabine cooed as Marinette and Adrien tried to sneak down the stairs.

“Hmmm.” Tom eyed Adrien steadily and the younger man shrunk down a little behind his girlfriend.

Marinette stopped by her father and kissed his cheek. “Morning, Papa. You look handsome today.”

“Good morning, sweetheart. Sleep well?” Tom’s tone was bland but he raised one thick eyebrow.

Marinette coughed a little. “I did, yes.”

“And you, Adrien, did you sleep well in my little girl’s bed?”

“Papa!”

“Tom!”

“Yes,” Adrien squeaked. He cleared his throat. “I mean, yes.”

Tom studied him and then pulled out the chair to his left. “You may as well eat. Sit down. I won’t bite.”

Adrien lowered himself into the chair and became a statue. 

“Papa,” Marinette pleaded. “Be sweet.”

“Marinette, you know how I feel about this.”

“Well, then you may not like what I wanted to tell you today,” Marinette warned.

Adrien looked at her with wide, panicked eyes. Surely she didn’t think now was the best time to—

“I’m moving in with Adrien after graduation. He’s got a nice two-bedroom apartment about ten minutes from here.”

Adrien stopped breathing when Tom’s gaze traveled from Marinette to him.

Tom looked down at his plate and cut a piece of sausage. “You two haven’t been together long.”

“No, but this feels right.” Marinette reached across the table for Adrien’s hand but he was too nervous to move. She glared at him and his hand shot out from under the table to hers, knocking over a glass of milk. 

“I’ve got it.” Sabine jumped up and grabbed a towel. Tom continued to watch Adrien who was using big green eyes to beg Marinette to help him. 

“Hmmmph.” Tom ate the rest of his breakfast in silence. 

“That could have gone worse. At least my dad likes you,” Marinette said when they were safely back in her room. Adrien only looked at her, bewildered.


	18. Chapter 18

“Hey, Alya,” Adrien said nervously, hands wringing his packaged graduation gown.

“Agreste,” Alya replied stiffly.

“Alya,” Nino warned.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Fine. Hello, Adrien. Ruin anything today?”

“Alya!”

Adrien dropped his head. “No, that’s fair.”

“Still,” Nino said, eyeing his girlfriend.

“Alya, I really am sorry. I didn’t think what me doing the show would mean to you and the others. My father was trying to apologize and I guess I didn’t think any further than how that made me feel.” Adrien looked back up, green eyes big and sincere. “I’m sorry.”

Nino looked at Alya expectantly and she huffed. “It’s okay, Adrien. I’m upset but I’ll get over it.”

“We know things are, uh, weird with your dad, dude. We can’t say for sure we wouldn’t have done the same thing, right, Al?”

“I already apologized, Nino. Don’t push it.”

“Well, that took forever!” Marinette joined them, holding up the cellophane packaging containing her graduation gown. “Is everything okay here?”

“Everything is fine,” Alya snapped. “I’m going to go find my seat.” She stomped off.

Nino watched her go. “Sorry about her. She got a few more phone calls about the article and the protest this morning and it’s really put her in foul mood.”

“I can’t believe I screwed this up so badly,” Adrien said. Marinette linked her arm with his.

“Don’t worry about it, dude. Do what you need to do. Alya will come around. Just keep taking of yourself, yeah? You don’t look nearly as much like Jack Skellington as you did a couple of weeks ago,” Nino grinned. 

“Thanks? I think,” Adrien grinned back.

“We should go find our seats,” Marinette prompted.

______________________

 

Adrien grimaced and pocketed his phone. 

“What’s up?” Marinette asked.

“It’s nothing.”

“Adrien.”

He sighed. “We can just add Circe, Kent, Alexa, and Welling to the list of people who currently hate me. They’ll have good company with your dad, Alya, and I’m sure others I’m not thinking of right now.”

“First of all, my dad doesn’t hate you. He just doesn’t like thinking of the possibility of us being, uh, you know, intimate…and Alya is upset right now but she doesn’t hate you either,” Marinette ran a hand up his arm. 

“I’m pretty sure that guy hates me.” Adrien nodded behind Marinette. She turned around to see Nathaniel. His face was serious until Marinette caught his eye. He smiled and started over towards them.

“Hey, Mari, Nino and I were talking about going out to dinner tomorrow night after the ceremony to celebrate finally graduating. You interested?”

Marinette looked up at her boyfriend. “Want to go to dinner?”

“I don’t think I ‘m invited.”

Marinette furrowed her brow and looked back at Nathaniel.

“It might not be the best idea. I’m sure Adrien understands.”

The men stared at each other. 

“Well, I don’t understand,” Marinette huffed. “This is ridiculous.”

“It’s fine.” Adrien forced himself to smile down at her. “You should go have fun. I’ll see you when you get back to our place.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. Marinette could practically hear the mic drop when Adrien said ‘our place’.

“You may as well go ahead and piss on her while you’re at it,” Nathaniel growled, voice low.

Adrien’s eyes narrowed and Marinette stepped between them. “You’re both being assholes now. Nathaniel, I don’t know what your problem is but friends don’t act like this. Adrien, I know things suck right now but don’t be a jerk.”

Adrien looked slightly abashed but he still glared at Nathaniel. Nathaniel glared right back.

“That’s it. I’m leaving alone,” Marinette said pointedly. She looked at them both and started for the door. Adrien was on her heels within seconds. She turned on him. “No. I mean it. I need some space.”

“I’m sorry, he just—“

“Adrien, please. I’ll come by your place later, I promise.” She walked out the glass double doors.

“I thought it was our place,” he said softly to the empty foyer.

_________________________

 

“This is cute, right?” Alya walked into the bare living room. “Not huge but I think we could make it work.” She ran a hand along the island counter that split the kitchen from the living area.

“So you really want to do this?” Nino asked, taking ahold of her waist. “You might get tired of me.”

“Or I might want to have sex with you every night against every possible surface of this place,” Alya whispered, leaning into him so that his back bumped into the island.

The realtor cleared her throat and Nino blushed. Alya turned to the woman. “Let’s talk money.”

__________________________

 

“Tikki, what am I going to do? I’m floundering here.” Marinette dropped her head in her hands. She had escaped to a nearby rooftop as Ladybug and detransformed as soon as she could. She didn’t want to be alone despite what she had told Adrien. The sun had finally set and darkness was starting to fall around her.

“Maybe you could talk to Master Fu?”

“I don’t think Master Fu is a therapist.”

“Then find one of those,” Tikki suggested. “It might not be a bad idea for you both to be able to talk to someone.”

“Maybe you’re right. I have no idea what I’m doing with Adrien sometimes. What if I’m just screwing him up even more?”

“He’s a grown man, Marinette. He has issues, yes, but some of the responsibility needs to lay with him.”

“I do love him, Tikki.”

The kwami smiled. “I know you do.”

____________________________

 

Ladybug landed lightly on the balcony. She loved how perfect this balcony was for them to come and go. It was angled just right to ward off any suspicions and the divider walls kept neighbors from getting too nosy. She leaned against the railing and took in a deep breath.

The glass doors opened behind her and she felt Adrien’s presence without him saying a word. She turned to him. “Hi there, handsome.”

“Hi,” he replied softly.

“It’s a beautiful night.”

Adrien padded out onto the balcony in low-slung sweat pants and his bare feet. Marinette wasn’t sure what it was but there was something about seeing Adrien with bare feet that she loved. It just made him more real somehow. Seeing him shirtless and in low-riding pants wasn’t so bad either.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m sorry about before. I know I was being stupid.”

“Do you want to take a run with me, kitty?”

He looked a little surprised. “Now?”

“Unless you’re busy.”

Adrien turned back towards the condo. “Plagg, want to go out?”

____________________________

 

Ladybug was gasping for breath by the time she landed on the roof of her parents’ bakery. She jumped down to her balcony, Chat Noir close behind her. 

“I need a minute,” she panted.

“Yeah, you were booking it,” he grinned back at her. They both collapsed on the lounger.

“I love that feeling.”

Chat Noir turned his head to her. “The freedom?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s nothing really like it, is there?”

Ladybug looked at her partner. “You know what this is making me think about?”

“Our first kiss? Well, my first kiss with the lovely Marinette,” Chat Noir winked. 

“That seems like so long ago but it really wasn’t.”

“It’s not like it was yesterday or anything.”

“True. Sometimes I just have a hard time sorting everything out with us. It’s like we’ve been in three different relationships.”

“Four if you count all the times you had to save me before I got my ring,” Chat Noir chuckled. 

“How would you feel about talking to someone? Like a therapist.”

Chat Noir swallowed. “You think I need to?”

“I think it would good for both of us. Maybe we could go together but have separate appointments? You need to be able to talk to someone about everything you’re dealing with without worrying about what I might think.”

“Did you ever think you needed therapy before you started dating me?” he asked quietly.

“Don’t do that.”

“I can’t help it. I feel like I’m bringing you down. Sometimes I think I should just leave so you don’t have to deal with me, but…but the thought of not being around you…” Chat Noir hunched in on himself. “I-I know I’m a lot to deal with and I know it’s not fair to you. I’m not worth it but—“

Ladybug pressed her lips against his, silencing him. He tried to pull back and she followed him, pushing him down to the lounger. She crawled on top of him, lips never breaking contact. After a few moments, she lifted her face from his. “Don’t ever think you’re not worth it to me, Adrien.” She kissed his cheek and then his jaw. Her gloved hand grasped his bell and slid the zipper down just enough so she had access to his neck. “I love you,” she breathed against his skin between kisses. “We’ll figure everything out.”

__________________________

 

Gabriel read over the article again. Novice tabloid quality in his opinion, but it had garnered a bit of interest, enough to form a sizeable protest outside his show. None of his attendees had seemed bothered. If anything, a protest only made his line all the more appealing to the trend-grubbers who frequented fashion shows.

He made a note of the models specifically named in the article and sent Nathalie a request to have them blackballed from any future Gabriel shows as well as any of his affiliates’ shows. There was a price to be paid for going against Gabriel Agreste and no one would soon forget it.

It was painfully obvious that Adrien was one of the unnamed sources. The writer, Alya Cesaire, all but pointed a large neon sign that screamed “said Son of Gabriel Agreste”. Gabriel played with the idea of contacting his media connections to teach Miss Cesaire a lesson but thought better of it. She may be of use to him yet.


	19. Chapter 19

“Holy cats, Hawk Moth is not playing around today,” Chat Noir panted. “What is that thing?!”

Ladybug eyed the monster warily. “I don’t know but we can’t be late for our own graduation. Lucky Charm!” She threw her yo-yo in the air.

______________________

 

“We’re going to be late! Come on!” Marinette hopped around the apartment, pulling on her high heels.

Adrien walked out of the bedroom in a mismatched shirt and tie and one sock. 

“Kitty!”

“Is this not okay?”

______________________

 

“The concept that opportunity will knock on your door is a myth. True opportunity will never wait around, hoping you notice it. You must search out opportunity and if you can’t find it even still, you must create it.”

Marinette found it hard to concentrate on the words coming out of Gabriel Agreste’s mouth, as he stood tall behind the podium. She studied his face, his posture, his impeccable clothing. She wanted him brought to his knees. She wanted him a sobbing mess, begging forgiveness for what he had put his son through.

She could just make out the back of Adrien’s head a couple of rows in front of her. He had looked back a few times before but hadn’t turned since his father had begun his graduation commencement. She wondered what he saw when he looked at the man on stage.

______________________

 

“We did it!” Alya squealed and hugged Marinette’s neck. “Let’s get ready to kick ass!”

“I’m going to miss living with you!” Marinette hugged her back. 

“Girl, you too. I have a feeling my new roommate isn’t going to be nearly as clean.”

“But the sex is better so there’s that,” Marinette teased.

“To be fair, you and I never had sex so that scale doesn’t count. Want to change that?” Alya bounced her eyebrows.

“Take me now, oh baby, oh baby,” Marinette giggled.

“Is that a request?” A voice purred in her ear. Marinette spun to find herself in Adrien’s arms. He leaned forward and kissed her nose. “Congratulations, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Congratulations, Adrien Agreste. How does it feel to be a university graduate?”

“Terrifying, actually.” Adrien looked over his girlfriend’s shoulder. “Congratulations, Alya,” he said hesitantly.

Alya eyed him for a minute. “Thanks, Adrien. You too.”

“Ah, Adrien, here you are.”

Marinette felt herself tense at the sound of Gabriel’s voice. Adrien turned them in his father’s direction. 

“Father, your speech was wonderful.”

“Thank you, Adrien. I hope you got something out of it. Miss Dupain-Cheng, congratulations.”

Marinette gritted her teeth but tried to smile. “Thank you, Mr. Agreste.”

“I’m hoping you can join us for dinner.”

Adrien squeezed her shoulder lightly. “Marinette’s already got plans, Father.”

Gabriel gazed at her. “What a pity. Perhaps another time.”

“Perhaps,” Marinette replied, holding eye contact.

Gabriel’s eyes flicked behind the couple. “Could this be the intriguing Miss Cesaire?” He stepped closer to Alya. “I read your piece on my alleged abuse of models. I found the whole thing rather contrived.”

“I wouldn’t have expected you to be a fan,” Alya responded stiffly.

“No, I dare say not.”

“We should go, Father.” Adrien put a hand on his arm. “We don’t want to miss our reservation.” He shot an apologetic look at Alya.

“Of course not. Have a nice evening, ladies. Congratulations again.” The men walked off.

“I hate that man,” Marinette steamed.

“I know a guy with a panther. We could totally make it look like an accident.”

“Alya, I doubt your dad is going to let us use the zoo’s panther to kill Gabriel.”

Alya shrugged. “It could be my graduation gift. Cheaper than a new car.”

_____________________

 

“I need to apologize,” Nathaniel sat down beside Marinette.

“Yes, you do.”

“Woah, there, killer. At least let me do it first.”

Marinette blushed. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

“Okay, so I was a jerk last night and I’m sorry. If I’m being honest, I’ve always had a thing for you and I don’t like seeing you with Adrien.”

“Oh.”

Nathaniel sighed. “It’s my fault. I should’ve asked you out a while ago. I shouldn’t be mad someone beat me to it…even if he sucks.”

“Nath!”

“Sorry.” Nathaniel tried to hide his grin. 

“I’m sorry if you felt like I was rubbing Adrien in your face. I honestly had no idea.”

“I know you didn’t. You’re not like that,” Nathaniel assured her. “Are we good?”

“We’re good.” She bumped his shoulder. “Now, tell me what you plan on doing with the rest of your life.”

__________________________

 

“Are you still content with your living arrangements?” Gabriel asked, spearing a sprig of asparagus.

“I am. The place is nice and in a good location,” Adrien answered. He moved the food around on his plate. He was finding it very hard to eat in front of his father.

“And Miss Dupain-Cheng has gotten settled in?”

“She has some stuff over there. She hasn’t fully moved in yet though.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“She is moving in,” Adrien continued quickly. “She wanted to get through graduation before worrying about it.”

“I’m sure.”

“She’s the one who picked it out actually. She loved the balcony.”

“Ah.”

Silence fell between the two of them.

“I would like to begin scheduling you for photo shoots again. You got rave reviews at the show.”

Adrien ran his fork through the mashed cauliflower. “I don’t know…”

“Come now, Adrien. You are the face of my brand. Without you, the whole thing falls apart,” Gabriel said.

“I’m sure there are others who would do just as well.”

“Nonsense. You’re my son. No one is going to be better than you.” Gabriel wiped at his mouth with a cloth napkin. “My team is already at work on the fall show. We can do shoots all through the summer leading up to it and then you will be the star of the show.”

Adrien continued to play with his food.

“I need you, Son. I can’t do this alone.”

“You do?”

“Of course, I do. We’re a team. Can I count on you?”

____________________

 

 **Marinette:** I want to kiss your face, your pretty, handsome, model face. We should get naked. Why do we even wear clothes? Let’s be naked!

Adrien read over the text again. He had a feeling it was possible his girlfriend had been drinking at the celebration dinner. He pulled up Nino’s number.

“Dude! Why aren’t you heeeeeere?” Nino answered.

“Not you too,” Adrien grinned into the phone. “I was looking for an adult.”

“Look for an adultier adult, man. I’m wassssssssssted.” Nino began to laugh and from the thump, Adrien assumed the phone had been dropped. He ended the call and tried Marinette’s phone.

“Boyfriend! It’s my kitty boyfriend, everybody! Shhhhhhhhhh!”

Adrien grimaced. He hadn’t thought about Marinette drinking over dinner. She was such a lightweight, a lightweight with rather important secrets. “Mari, where are you?”

Marinette giggled. “I’m at the place with the thing!”

“That doesn’t help me even a little. Hey, is Alya with you?”

“Alllya,” Marinette sang and then cackled after a wet slurping sound. “Alya kissed me, kitty! We should do that again!”

“Let me have this,” a masculine voice said and Adrien tensed. “Hello?”

“Who is this?”

“Adrien? It’s Nathaniel.” There was a thump and some scuffling before he continued. “Sorry, I’m trying to play drunk wrangler at the moment.”

“Where are you guys?” Adrien tried to keep his voice even.

“The bar on Rue Gallantes. I can’t remember the name right now. Nino, put that down!”

Adrien hung up and pocketed his phone. “Plagg, claws out!”

________________________

 

“Kitty Chat Noir is, like, the best kisssssser,” Marinette slurred, leaning into Alya. Alya nodded rapidly. “Like, he has these lips that are just mwah!”

“He’s pretty,” Nino said, wrapping an arm around both women. “Pretty kitty.”

“Pretty kitty,” Marinette giggled.

“I wanna—hic—ring the bell,” Alya hiccupped.

“It’s a zipper!” Marinette yelled. “It comes down to here.” She poked Nino in the belly.

“Ssssexy.” Nino stumbled backwards and the women stumbled with him.

“Maybe let’s all walk on our own, huh?” Nathaniel disentangled Marinette from Nino’s arms and she flopped against him.

“You’re not kitty.”

“Not kitty! Not kitty!” Alya chanted.

“Wow, this is absolutely the last time I’m the only sober one,” Nathaniel vowed. “You guys suck.”

“KITTY!” Marinette lunged at the dark figure that dropped down to the sidewalk in front of them.

Chat Noir caught Marinette in his arms. She nuzzled her face in his neck. “Mmmmmmm.”

Nathaniel stepped forward. “Hey, man, sorry, she’s had a little too much to drink. I’m just trying to get her home.”

“I can take care of it.” Chat Noir scooped Marinette up in a princess carry.

Nathaniel grabbed his arm. “That’s not a good idea. Her boyfriend gets mad jealous. I’ll leave her at Alya’s.”

Marinette yanked on Chat’s bell and started running her lips along the exposed skin. He had forgotten how kissy she got when she drank. She nipped at his collarbone. “I want to see you naked,” she whispered, voice husky. Uh-oh, they had just crossed over from giggly to—

“Marinette, come on, I’m going to get you home.” Nathaniel tried to ease her out of Chat Noir’s grasp. 

“I said I’d take care of her.” Chat Noir stepped back. “I’ll take her to Adrien. He’s a friend.”

“Not a good one apparently,” Nathaniel shot back as Marinette ran her tongue up Chat’s neck and the man shuddered.

“That is sssssooooo hot,” Nino commented. He tried to lift Alya the same way and they ended up in a giggling heap on the ground. 

“Get them home. I promise she’s safe with me.” Chat Noir gave Nathaniel once last look before gripping tighter to Marinette and extending his baton.

_____________________

 

As soon as they landed on the balcony, Marinette was pushing at the shoulders of his suit. “Off, off, off!”

“Hang on a minute,” Adrien laughed, dropping his transformation. Plagg flew away with a grunt. 

Tikki floated out of Marinette’s purse. “Marinette, get a hold of yourself.”

Marinette giggled and patted Tikki on the head before pulling at Adrien’s shirt.

“Don’t worry. I’m putting her to bed,” Adrien reassured the kwami.

“Yeah, the bed!”

“To sleep,” Adrien clarified. Marinette pouted and unzipped his pants. He groaned, resting his forehead against hers. “Stop testing me, woman.”

“Sexy time,” she smiled.

“Sleepy time.”

Marinette stuck out her tongue but let him lead her to the bed. She sat down on the edge and Adrien slipped her feet out of her shoes. He pulled her shirt over her head and helped her wiggle out of her skirt. 

“Under the covers now, Princess.”

Marinette snuggled into the bed and Adrien stripped down and joined her. He pulled her close and shut his eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

“Alcohol is the devil,” Marinette moaned into the pillow. “Whhhhhhhyyyyy?”

“It is curious why you thought it would be a good idea to drink when you have certain secrets to keep,” Tikki sniffed. 

“I was celebrating,” Marinette mumbled.

“Well, you practically outed Chat so I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

“I what?!” Marinette sat up quickly and grabbed her head, groaning.

“Ah, there’s my Sleeping Beauty,” Adrien grinned, entering the bedroom with a tray. “I brought you some breakfast.”

Marinette scrunched her nose. Tikki fluttered off with a disapproving tut. 

“None of that,” he admonished, handing her a banana. “Eat up. You’ll feel better.”

Marinette took the banana and stared at it petulantly. “Hey, Tikki said I might have, um, outed Chat last night?”

Adrien frowned. “Yeah, we need to look into that. Alya already knows and I think Nino was too far gone to notice but you were pretty…handsy with Chat Noir in front of Nathaniel.”

Marinette groaned. “Maybe Nath will think I’m just a slut?”

“That’s not better, Mari. Besides, I don’t like the thought of anyone thinking that.”

“I’ll call him later and try to feel things out.” She swallowed a bite of the banana with a grimace. “Hey, we have our first appointment with Dr. Longrin today.”

“About that…”

“We need to do this, kitty.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You were on board last week. What changed?”

“I don’t know how comfortable I am with talking to a stranger.” Adrien brushed imaginary crumbs off the tray.

“I think it’s important for us to talk to someone who knows about some of the stuff we’re dealing with. Dr. Longrin can be that person. He has great references and reviews.”

“I know…”

Marinette took Adrien’s hand in hers. “How about we make a deal? We do the appointments today and if you still aren’t comfortable, we’ll look into something else.”

“That’s fair.”

“I aim to please,” she said as she kissed his cheek.

________________________

 

“Adrien, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?” Dr. Longrin suggested from his plush armchair. 

Adrien fidgeted with a throw pillow. “What do you want to know?”

“What are some things you enjoy doing?”

“I, uh, I model for my father’s company. I just graduated with a business degree. I like spending time with my girlfriend.”

Dr. Longrin nodded. “And you enjoy modeling?”

“I’m good at it.”

“Yes, but do you enjoy it?”

Adrien frowned and didn’t reply.

“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about you and Marinette?” Dr. Longrin asked.

“Marinette is…she’s amazing. She’s beautiful and kind and smart and funny and thoughtful. She takes care of me.” Adrien’s cheeks warmed and he clapped his mouth shut before he could gush anymore.

Dr. Longrin smiled. “It sounds like she makes you very happy.”

“She does. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“And do you think you make her just as happy?”

“No,” Adrien answered immediately.

“And why is that?”

Adrien shifted uneasily.

“Adrien, I promise that nothing you say in here will ever be repeated. Just as anything Marinette says to me in the next hour will be kept private. This is a safe place.”

“I’m not good enough for her.”

“Has she said that?”

Adrien looked up, horrified. “Of course not! Marinette wouldn’t say something like that.”

“Then why do you think that?”

“I just know I’m not. I’m…I’m broken.”

“How so?”

“I can’t talk about it,” Adrien finally said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Then what would you like to talk about?”

“How I can be a better man for Marinette,” Adrien answered softly.

Dr. Longrin studied his face for a moment. “You want to be better for her, not for yourself?”

“I want to be whatever she needs me to be.”

“What do you need to be, Adrien?” Dr. Longrin pushed.

“I just told you. Marinette is everything to me. Whatever she needs, I want to be that. Right now, she wants me to be her boyfriend.”

“And if that changes? What happens if tomorrow she decides to leave?”

Adrien felt his pulse speed up. “She wouldn’t.”

“This is all hypothetical, Adrien. I just want you to think through it and tell me how you feel.”

“I would wait for her to come back.”

“What about you? What about your wants and needs?”

“They don’t matter.”

________________________

 

“Tell me about Adrien,” Dr. Longrin suggested. 

Marinette tucked some hair behind her left ear anxiously. “He’s wonderful but I worry about him.”

“Why?”

“He relies too much on what others want from him. He wants to please everybody,” she replied, fidgeting with her nails.

“Anyone in particular?”

“His father,” Marinette answered flatly.

“I see. And what does his father want from him?”

“When Adrien and I first started dating, his father had him losing an unhealthy amount of weight for a fashion show. Adrien was skin and bones; it was terrifying. It has taken a lot of energy trying to get him back to a healthy place and I worry every time he sees Gabriel that he is going to fall right back into the cycle.”

“Do you feel responsible for Adrien’s well-being?”

Marinette chewed on her lip. “A little? I know I probably shouldn’t but he looks at me, like…”

“Yes?”

“Like I’m his whole world sometimes,” she finished. “And it’s intimidating, scary even.”

“If you walked out the door right now and never saw Adrien again, what emotions do you think you would feel? Say the first things that come to mind,” Dr. Longrin suggested.

Marinette thought for a moment. “Devastated. Heartbroken. Angry.”

“Why angry?”

“Because someone took him away.”

“What makes you think someone took Adrien away?”

“Because he wouldn’t just leave me,” Marinette answered simply.

_____________________

 

“Well?” Marinette prompted as they rode back to the apartment.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I got much out of it,” Adrien replied.

“Hmmm.” Marinette bit her tongue to keep from asking what he had talked about in his session. She was waiting until she had some quiet alone time to go over the load of things that had been brought up during hers. “So do you want to go back?”

“Maybe. Can I think about it?”

“Sure.”

_____________________

 

“Babe, I need a break. You’re killing me,” Nino panted as she collapsed against him.

“We’ve still got to have sex in the bathroom and kitchen,” Alya pouted.

“I don’t think there’s a rule that says it all has to happen the day you move in.” Nino stood up from the couch and padded over to the fridge. 

“I like watching you walk around naked in our new place,” Alya grinned.

Nino looked back over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Mmmhmm.”

Nino brought her a bottled water and settled back down on the couch. “We still need to go grab the stuff from your parents. Didn’t you say they had a dining room table they wanted to give us?”

Alya ran a hand up Nino’s bare chest. “Yeah, it’s in the storage building. It’s pretty heavy.”

“Maybe Adrien or Nathaniel can help me move it.”

“Ooo, yeah, you hot, sweaty, sexy men moving a big, heavy table. I could get into that.”

“Get a hold of yourself, woman.”

Alya sighed. “My libido is wasted on you.”

“No mere mortal man could keep up with you.”

_____________________

 

“Nathaniel?”

The redhead stood up from his place in front of the apartment door. “Hey.”

“Hey. What are you doing here?” Adrien asked, looking back down the hall.

“We need to talk. Is Marinette here?”

“No, I just dropped her off at her parents’ place to pack some stuff up. I needed to come back here to grab boxes.”

Nathaniel gestured towards the door. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Adrien unlocked the door and the two men entered. “What’s going on?”

“Okay, so either you’re Chat Noir or Marinette is cheating on you with Chat Noir and I just can’t think that’s the case.”

“Wow. Just right to the point, huh?”

Nathaniel huffed. “Well?”

“Could you really blame Marinette? Chat Noir is pretty sexy.”

“Damn it, you’re actually him, aren’t you?”

Adrien ducked his head. “I should probably try to lie some more but I’m not very good at it. Yeah, I’m Chat.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

“And obviously Marinette knows because duh.”

Adrien nodded. “She knows.”

“No wonder I didn’t have a shot.”

Adrien cocked an eyebrow but chose to stay quiet.

Nathaniel began to pace. “This is starting to make a little more sense now. You should probably tell Mari to tone done the whole ‘kitty’ thing. It didn’t take much to put two and two together.”

“Most people don’t see us together so I don’t think it really clicks.”

“Still.” Nathaniel turned to face him. “Look, I know I should apologize to you for the way I’ve behaved but I don’t really want to.”

“That’s fair. I don’t want to apologize to you either.”

“I still don’t think I really like you, Adrien. I especially don’t like you with Marinette, but…knowing who you are and what you do, thanks, I guess?”

“Wow, I’ll try not to slip on all that gushing,” Adrien replied dryly.

Nathaniel laughed. “I kind of like this side of you.”

Adrien frowned. “What side?”

“This ‘I don’t give a shit what you think of me’ side. I don’t think most people get to see it.” Nathaniel scratched his head awkwardly. “Well, I better get going. Don’t worry or anything. I won’t tell anyone about your super alter ego.”

“Thanks, I would appreciate that.”

Adrien’s phone buzzed at the same time Nathaniel’s gave a loud ding. 

“Looks like Nino needs help moving some stuff into their new place,” Nathaniel read.

“Looks like.”

“Seems like Chat Noir would be all over helping a friend in need.”

Adrien grimaced. “I get the feeling I’m not going to enjoy you knowing about me.”

Nathaniel grinned. “I get the feeling you might be right.”

__________________________

 

“Marinette, are you sure about this, honey? You are welcome to stay here as long as you want.”

“I know, Papa.” Marinette leaned up to kiss her father’s cheek. “I want to move in with Adrien.”

“But you haven’t been together long. What’s the rush?” Tom pulled out a stack of clothes Marinette had just put in a box.

Marinette huffed and took the clothes from him, returning them to their box. “I love him.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Tomas Nolan Dupain, I know you aren’t giving our daughter a hard time for loving someone she ‘hardly’ knows,” Sabine scolded. “You proposed to me on our third date!”

“Those were different times!”

Sabine rolled her eyes. “Marinette and Adrien will be fine. And if for some reason things don’t work out, Marinette knows she is always welcome back home, right, sweetie?”

“Thanks, Maman.” Marinette hugged her mother. “I’m surprised Adrien’s not back yet actually. I’m almost out of boxes.”

“Guess you can’t move then.”

“Tom!”


	21. Chapter 21

Marinette wrinkled her nose. “Gah, how many times have you had sex in here already?”

Alya shot her a self-satisfied grin. “Still not enough, but I’m working on it.”

“You’re gross.”

“You’re jealous.”

Marinette laughed and placed a moving box on the counter. “Maybe a little.”

“So you and Blondie still haven’t taken a trip to Poundtown?”

“Alya!”

“What?” she asked, feigning innocence. “I just want to know if you’ve played hide the salami.”

“Oh my word.”

“Come on! Have you done the deed, bumped uglies, boinked? If none of those, please tell me you’ve at least knocked boots, gone to the boneyard, danced the horizontal tango.”

“Do you just walk around thinking up new things to call sex?”

“It relaxes me,” Alya grinned. She craned her neck to make sure they were still alone. “Seriously though, you’re moving into his place. You guys still haven’t?”

“It isn’t a big deal. We’ve been going through a lot of stuff with his dad and…other things. It will happen when it’s supposed to happen.” Marinette chewed on her lip.

“You are so ready for it to happen.”

“I would jump him as soon as he walks through that door if I thought it would help,” Marinette flushed.

“So he’s just not into it?”

“It’s not that. It’s more that everything in our relationship went really fast and this is kind of that last big thing. We’re waiting for the right moment.”

“The right moment for what?” Adrien interrupted, bringing in a large box. 

“The right moment for you to finally make my little Marinette into a woman,” Alya smirked.

Adrien’s face reddened. 

“I’m going to kill you,” Marinette threatened. Alya laughed.

___________________________

 

Adrien watched Marinette’s reflection as she brushed her teeth. “This feels different now, doesn’t it?”

Marinette eyed him self-consciously before leaning down to spit in the sink. She wiped her mouth with a hand towel. “What?”

“You’ve stayed over before but now you live here. You aren’t leaving in the morning.” Adrien watched the water twirl down the sink drain and a small smile played on his lips.

Marinette dropped her toothbrush back in its holder. Their toothbrush holder. “Does that make you happy?”

“The happiest.”

She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad.”

“Are…are you happy?” Adrien looked down, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 

“Come with me.” Marinette took his hand and led him to the bed. She pulled him down into the soft bedding and curled into his chest. “There’s nowhere in this world I’d rather be, mon minou.”

______________________

 

“Sir, Emille called to confirm Adrien for the shoot today,” Nathalie said uncertainly.

“That’s correct. Is there a problem?” Gabriel slashed a thick red line through a mock-up on his desk.

“It’s only…I suppose I was under the impression Adrien was taking some time off.”

“We decided he would be the focal point of the fall show. We’re starting the campaign today.”

“I see.”

Gabriel eyed his assistant over his glasses. “Is there something you would like to say to me, Nathalie?”

Nathalie took a deep breath. “I don’t know that it is in Adrien’s best interest to continue modeling. He was very sick and—“

“I believe as his father, I know better than you what is in Adrien’s best interest,” Gabriel interrupted.

“I understand, sir, but—“

“That is all, Nathalie.”

Nathalie nodded curtly and left the office. She made a mental note to transfer more money into Marinette’s account for Adrien.

________________________

 

“I notice you’re alone today,” Dr. Longrin began.

Marinette shrugged. “Adrien isn’t sure if he wants to continue.”

“But you do?”

“I need to be able to talk to someone about him without feeling guilty.”

“Why guilty?”

Marinette scratched at the pink polish on her thumbnail. “He loves me so much and I guess I feel guilty when…it’s not that I don’t love him, I do!” she rushed, “but I’m scared I’m not going to be able to give him what he needs.”

“What kind of needs?”

“Sexually,” she mumbled.

Dr. Longrin nodded. “That isn’t anything to feel guilty about, Marinette. A lot of couples face this. How long have you two been sexually active?”

“We haven’t been!” she flushed. “I mean, we’ve made out and we sleep in the same bed, but there hasn’t been…we haven’t…uh, had sex.”

“And what makes you think you won’t be able to give Adrien what he needs?”

Marinette squirmed. “He mentioned, um, wanting me to tell him what to do. What if he’s into, like, being tied up or whipping or something? I don’t think I can…” She trailed off.

“Have you talked to him about it?”

“Not really. Not more than him saying the thing about being told what to do.”

“Perhaps that would be the first step then,” Dr. Longrin suggested. “Communication is the most important thing in a relationship.”

“Right,” Marinette nodded. “But with everything he’s been through with his father, doesn’t it seem, I don’t know, kind of messed up?”

“Quite the contrary, actually. I believe it shows his absolute trust in you. This has nothing to do with his father, Marinette. This need Adrien has only involves you and him.”

“I need to talk to him,” Marinette decided.

“You need to talk to him,” Dr. Longrin agreed.

_____________________

 

“Mr. Model not helping today?” Nathaniel asked, flipping the IKEA instructions over with a frown.

“He has a photo shoot, I think,” Nino replied, holding up two pieces of clapboard.

“Why do you think he is doing all this again?”

“The modeling thing?”

Nathaniel nodded. 

“I don’t know. Family stuff sucks sometimes, right?”

“I guess.”

“You’re not still trying to get with Mari, are you?” Nino frowned.

“Always but that’s not what this is about.” Nathaniel let the instructions flutter to the floor. “Those are useless.”

“This is all useless. I know we’re poor but maybe we should just leave everything in the boxes and use those as our furniture.”

“I’m sure Alya would be absolutely on board with that.”

Nino groaned and picked up the instructions. “Why are you so worried about Adrien anyway?”

“I don’t know. Loathe as I am to admit it, he may be kind of cool. It sucks to see him falling back into the same old thing.”

Nino grinned. “Dude, you totally have a crush on Adrien.”

“What?!”

“Don’t worry, man. I’ve been crushing on him for a while too. The guy is gorgeous.”

“You’re such an ass,” Nathaniel laughed.

“I’m pretty sure I’m about forty percent gay for him actually.”

“That’s not a thing.”

“It’s absolutely a thing. You can ask Alya.”

“Oh yeah, and what would Alya know about it?”

Nino let out a whoop of victory when he was able to connect the two pieces of clapboard with a tiny peg. “Alya is, like, seventy percent gay for Marinette. In fact, I’m pretty sure if Marinette decided to change teams, Alya would drop me in a hot minute.”

“Where in the world are these percentages coming from anyway?”

“It’s science, man.”

“Maybe you should all just be in one big relationship. That fixes all the problems,” Nathaniel smirked.

“And leave you out in the cold? We couldn’t do that to you, dude.”

“So we’ll all just be in a big poly group. Should be fun,” Nathaniel teased.

Nino nodded. “Alya will be thrilled. And I could use a break. She’s going to snap me in two.”

______________________

 

“Adrien, darling, what have you done to yourself?” Emille poked at Adrien’s stomach. “Is this a cookie pouch?”

Adrien stepped back, cheeks red. “I guess I’ve gained a little weight.”

“A little?! Darling, you look like the Pilsbury Doughboy! Stefan, Ronnie, we need some styling help, stat!”

Emille unzipped Adrien’s pants and pushed them to the ground. “Don’t worry, we’ll make you look fabulous as always.”

Stefan and Ronnie rushed over with new pants, holding different pairs up to Adrien’s waist.

“Has your father seen you, darling? Everything he sent over is too small.” Emille poked Adrien’s ribs so he would lift his arms. Emille pulled the shirt over his head. “Oh, it’s worse like this.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“You beautiful, beautiful man. We’ll fix you, don’t you worry.”

________________________

 

“I believe you are going to be a perfect fit for our group here, Miss Cesaire,” Brandon Moon said, shaking her hand.

“Thank you so much! This is my dream job. I’m honestly so grateful,” Alya responded.

“We’re happy to have you. Any recommendation from Gabriel Agreste definitely holds weight around here.”

“I’m sorry. Did you say Gabriel Agreste?”

Brandon looked uncertain. “Yes, he’s the one who recommended we take a look at your application. I’m glad he did. You’ll do great here.”

Alya nodded numbly. “Right, thanks.”

_____________________

 

“Chat, watch out!” Ladybug screamed as the akuma lunged for her partner. He dodged just in time but stumbled. The akumatized man roared and charged Chat Noir again. 

“Stop trying to hurt my boyfriend!” Ladybug lashed out her yo-yo and wrapped it around the man’s ankle, dragging him down. She yanked the hat off his head and tossed it to her partner.

Chat Noir looked down at it dumbly.

“Chat, use Cataclysm,” Ladybug instructed as she struggled with the bucking akumatized man. 

Chat Noir nodded and called his destructive power, reducing the hat to blackened ash. A dark butterfly rose up and Ladybug released her yo-yo to catch it.

Within minutes, the hero pair landed on their balcony. Chat Noir’s transformation fell away almost instantly, Plagg grumbling as he floated to the kitchen. Adrien stumbled forward and Ladybug caught him around his waist.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I can’t breathe,” he rasped. He patted his hands over his stomach frantically. 

Ladybug pulled at his shirt, releasing it from his pants. Instead of his skin, she found herself looking at black Velcro straps. “What is this?” she asked, pulling at it.

Adrien gasped as one of the straps loosened, leaning into her. Ladybug worked the other three straps loose and Adrien slumped against her in relief. “Adrien? Adrien!”

“I-I’m okay. Just give me a minute.”

Ladybug released her transformation as she held onto his slumped form. Tikki floated behind his head, a worried look on his face. Plagg had come back from the kitchen and was frowning.

Marinette ran her hands under the black material, pushing it away from Adrien’s skin to fall heavily to the floor. His stomach and sides were indented with angry red marks. “What the hell is that thing?”

“A binder,” Adrien answered softly. “I-I couldn’t fit into any of the clothes at the shoot so they had to use it.”

“Adrien.”

“Please, just don’t say anything right now. Please.”

Marinette nodded and helped him over to the couch. 

 

“Ladybug, it has been a while,” Master Fu smiled.

“Sorry. Life got a little chaotic.”

Master Fu nodded and hummed as he filled a bottle with oil.

“I think I might need a new partner.”

“Oh?”

“Chat is, um, dealing with some things right now and he might not be able to help much.”

Master Fu rubbed his chin. “I see.”

“I mean, he should still be Chat Noir!” Marinette backpedaled. “It would just be nice to have some extra back-up in case he can’t help.” 

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks,” Marinette replied, not feeling nearly as good as she had hoped.


	22. Chapter 22

Nathaniel must have passed the small black box three times before it caught his eye. He had spent most of the day setting up his studio area in the small loft he had rented above a thrift store. He paused in front of the table with an arm full of canvases. He looked at the box for a moment before continuing on his way to dump the canvases in a corner.

Curious, Nathaniel returned to the table and picked up the box. He opened the lid and yelped when a bright blue light poured out.

“Oh! You’re a ginger! I adore gingers!” a high voice squeaked.

_____________________

 

“We need to talk.”

Adrien groaned and hugged his pillow tighter. 

“Please, kitty.” Marinette placed a hand on his back. 

Reluctantly, Adrien rolled over to face her. His eyes were guarded. “I know you’re disappointed in me. You don’t have to say it.”

“Adrien.”

He closed his eyes, lips thinning. 

“Please look at me,” Marinette coaxed. “I’m scared.”

When opened, his green eyes held a dull quality to them as if all the light had been meticulously rubbed away.

Marinette cupped his cheek. “I don’t know how to protect you.”

“You shouldn’t have to protect me,” he murmured, tilting into her touch. “I’m supposed to be the one protecting you.”

“Why did you let them put you in that thing?”

“Mari…”

“I need to understand.”

Adrien sighed. “Can I hold you while I talk?”

Marinette scooted over to him.

“Will you turn around,” he requested.

Marinette flipped over so her back was to him and Adrien drew her against his chest. He breathed in the scent of her freshly-washed hair. “I’m weak, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’ve always been weak and…and I guess I always will be. I got to the shoot and they were going on and on about all the weight I’ve gained and the clothes Father had sent over were too small to work.”

“At one point they left me alone in the dressing room and I saw my reflection and I just…I hate myself, Mari. I know I’m getting healthier. I know that, but my entire life has been built up on this ideal of beauty. When they brought in the binder, I just let them put me in it. I didn’t even care how much it hurt. I smiled through the entire photo shoot because that’s what I was supposed to do.”

Adrien paused and tightened his hold on his girlfriend. “I have another shoot with Emille tomorrow. He thinks if I sleep in the binder, I might be able to fit into some of the outfits. I can’t get it tight enough myself but if you could help me—”

“No.” Marinette’s voice was low and cold.

“Marinette—“

She turned in his arms and pushed against his chest. “I said no, Adrien.”

Adrien’s eyes were wide as he slid back from her. Marinette advanced on him, crawling over until she hovered above him and straddled his hips. Adrien’s mouth opened in surprise.

“You are not changing this,” she leaned down and kissed his cheek gently. “Or this.” She kissed him jaw. “Absolutely not this,” she purred running a hand slowly down his chest. “Oh, I love this.” She stroked a hand along his stomach and Adrien shivered. She sat up and grabbed his thighs behind her. “These are magnificent.” Using the flexibility she had gained in her time as Ladybug, she bent her upped body back, grabbing for his feet. “These are quite nice too.”

Marinette felt Adrien shudder underneath her. She pulled herself back up to a sitting position, grinding against Adrien. A soft gasp escaped his lips. “Tell me you’re strong, Adrien.”

“I-I…”

Marinette rolled her hips again and Adrien groaned. “I’m waiting.”

“Marinette, p-please…”

“Fine, let’s try something else. Every good thing you can say about yourself, I’ll take off a piece of clothing.” She rubbed against him again and Adrien let out a strangled cry. “Go ahead, kitty. Undress me.”

“I-I, um, I have good taste in m-movies.”

Marinette giggled. “Not exactly what I was looking for but that’s my fault for not being more specific.” She reached back and pulled off her left sock. “Your love of Disney movies is endearing, my sweet, but I’m looking for something a bit more substantial. Tell me something you like about yourself physically.”

“M-my eyes, I guess.” Said eyes darted around as if he was afraid to see Marinette’s reaction.

“Mmm, I would have to agree on that. I also love your eyes.” She pushed down against him to reach for her right sock. She slid it off and showed it to him before flinging it away. “What else?” She twitched above him.

“I don’t know— damn it, Mari, do that again.”

“Not until you tell me something else you like about yourself,” she teased. She began to slowly rock back and forth on top of him.

“I like being C-Chat Noir. It makes me feel p-powerful.”

“Chat Noir is powerful but I want to talk about Adrien.”

He groaned. “Someone once told me I have nice hands.”

Marinette picked up one of his hands and brought it to her lips. She separated his slender middle finger and slid it into her mouth. Adrien cursed and bucked under her. “Your hands are nice, kitty, but I’m still not sure that counts unless you think you have nice hands.”

“P-please, I-I can’t…”

Marinette slid off of Adrien and sat up beside him. “Do you need me to help you out, love?”

He nodded frantically. 

“I love your hips,” Marinette said, leaning down to place a kiss against each clothed hipbone. She could feel Adrien shaking beneath her lips. She sat back up and pulled his pajama pants down his legs.

“I love this space where your neck meets your shoulders.” Marinette reached up to nip at the spot. Adrien sighed. Marinette wiggled out of her own pajama pants.

Marinette reached around his waist and dug her hands underneath him to grab his butt. “I’m a big fan of this particular area,” she smiled. She squeezed him and he jumped a little, laughing. 

She slid her hands back out and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “What else, what else?”

“Y-you said you liked my chest,” he offered.

“I did say that, didn’t I?” Marinette grinned, absolutely pleased with his comment. She helped him sit up to take off his shirt. She placed soft kisses trailing from his neck to his stomach. “Anything else?”

Adrien looked at her with adoring eyes but didn’t answer.

“Adrien, what do you see when you look at me?”

“The most beautiful woman in the world…the person I love more than anything else.” He took her left hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

“Then maybe you can try to understand what I see when I look at you. I find you extremely attractive to the point that sometimes I still can’t believe you’re mine. I only want you to be happy.”

“I’m happy with you.”

“I want you to be happy with you too.”

Adrien looked away. 

“Hey, come back,” Marinette pouted, guiding his chin so he was looking at her again. “I know it’s not going to happen magically. It will take time, but I’m going to be right here, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied softly.

“Now, uh, here we are, mostly undressed…” Marinette’s cheeks warmed.

“Are you…are you getting embarrassed?” Adrien smiled.

“Maybe.”

“You were seriously just grinding on me, torturing me!”

“I was trying to make a point,” Marinette pouted.

“Holy cats, you’re adorable.” He pulled her down for a kiss, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Marinette melted into him.

Later that night once Adrien had fallen asleep sweaty and exhausted, Marinette slipped away to proudly text Alya that she had finally “given Adrien the business”.

__________________________

 

“Nino, what am I going to do? This is my dream job.” Alya paced their small living room, dodging stacks of unpacked boxes. “I can’t afford not to work. We have to pay for this place!”

“Babe, take a deep breath and calm down.”

“Calm down? Calm down?! When in the history of everything has telling someone to calm down ever helped anything?!”

Nino stood up from the couch and hugged her to him. “Do you want to keep the job?”

“Yes, but Gabriel—“

“Shhh. If you want to keep the job, keep the job. If Assface makes trouble, we’ll deal with it, yeah?”

“I don’t know.”

Alya’s phone let out a loud beep. She pulled away from Nino to check it and started laughing.

“What?” he asked, craning around to see the screen. 

“Marinette and Adrien finally did the deed, apparently,” Alya smirked. “She’s been pretty pent up. I bet it was phenomenal.” 

“Oh, that poor man. I hope she didn’t break him.”

_______________________

 

“This is some kind of joke, right? Did Chat Noir send you to scare me or something?” Nathaniel backed up, knocking over a jar of paintbrushes.

“Chat Noir…is he the Black Cat holder? What a simple name.” The blue kwami floated closer. “Listen, Red, the Guardian chose you to be a hero so what do you say?”

“I-I don’t know what to say. I’m not a hero.”

“That’s where I come in,” the kwami laughed. “I’m Dusuu, the pleasure is all yours, I’m sure.” She floated back over to the table. “Pin the pendant on your shirt or something and say ‘feathers out’.”

Nathaniel eyed the floating blue creature warily.

“Oh, come on! This will be fun!”

Nathaniel reached for the Peacock Miraculous and pinned it to his shirt. “Uh, Duson—“

“Dusuu!”

“Right, sorry. Dusuu, feathers out?”

Nathaniel felt his body light up with energy. The room glowed bright blue and then dimmed. “Holy shit,” he swore looking down at himself. “This is so freaking cool.”

_______________________

 

“Hey, Romeo, akuma attack. Hop to it!” Plagg pushed against Adrien’s shoulder.

Marinette plucked Plagg out of the air. “Leave him alone. I’ll take care of it.”

“Not by yourself, you won’t,” Plagg replied, freeing himself.

“We’ll be fine, my grumpy cat.” Tikki kissed Plagg’s head and flew away to transform Marinette.

“Yeah, like I really believe that,” Plagg muttered. “Oy! Lazy bones, get up!”

Adrien rolled over and swatted at him. 

“I swear I don’t get paid enough for this gig. If you don’t wake up right now, I’m transforming you with hot pants and go-go boots next time.”

Adrien groaned. “Go awaaaaaay.”

“Fine, but when Marinette gets hurt because you were too tired to get up—“

Adrien sat up abruptly, blinking hazy eyes. “Marinette huh?”

“Up and at ‘am, Kid. We’ve got work to do.”

____________________________

 

Ladybug swung onto the street just as a large wave of water rushed over the pavement. The akuma was cackling and raising a hand to direct the waves to beat against sides of buildings. Thankfully it was late and there didn’t seem to be any civilians around.

“Hey, you!” a voice called from above. “Stop that right now, uh, in the name of the law, I guess.”

Ladybug looked up to see a man in turquoise, white, and shimmering shades of blue. A tight jumpsuit ran down into thigh-high boots and brilliant red hair faded into purple and cobalt in a fanned pouf at the back of the man’s head. A brilliant blue and copper mask covered his forehead and dipped down into a ‘v’ over his nose. This had to be the new hero Ladybug had requested of Master Fu. She vaguely remembered a Peacock Miraculous.

The akuma sent a towering wave up at the man and Ladybug swung in to grab him just before the wave crashed down. 

“Wow, thanks!” he said breathlessly. “This is my first night and I honestly just wanted to get a feel for things. Did not expect this guy.”

“That’s usually how it goes around here,” Ladybug replied as they landed on a roof. “You have a name yet?”

“Oh, right. I guess I should have one of those.” He scratched his chin. “Paon, I guess? It’s not original but it’s no worse than Ladybug or Chat Noir.”

Ladybug raised an eyebrow.

“Not to say those are bad names!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Wow, I’m making a stellar first impression.”

Ladybug laughed. “You’re doing fine.”

“Where’s Chat Noir anyway? I thought he was always with you.”

“I left him sleeping…uh, I mean, he’s taking some time to rest.”

“You left him sleeping…as in you were sleeping with him?” Paon inquired, voice unsteady.

“Okay, yes, but that’s not important.”

“Shit, Marinette?”

Ladybug’s eyes widened. “What? No! I’m not…that’s not…”

“Damn it,” Paon cursed. “This really sucks.”

The akuma roared and the two heroes snapped to attention. “We’ll talk after we kick his butt,” Ladybug promised. 

“Looking forward to it.”


	23. Chapter 23

“Have any nifty tricks I should know about?” Ladybug yelled, barely dodging a current of water shot her way.

“Uh, I didn’t actually get that far,” Paon panted. “Should I ask my floating blue thing?”

Ladybug laughed. “They’re called kwamis, and yeah.” She tossed her yo-yo in the air. “Lucky Charm!”

________________________

 

Chat Noir dropped onto the roof just as a current of glowing ladybugs flew out over the city, drying up water and repairing damage. “Looks like I missed the party.”

Ladybug spun, eyes wide. “Chat!”

“Nice of you to finally show up but we’ve actually got it covered,” Paon drawled. “Thanks anyway.”

“Who the hell are you?”

Ladybug stepped in front of Chat Noir, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I was hoping you would stay home and rest.”

He looked down at her. “And leave you to fight alone? You couldn’t have thought I would be okay with that.”

“She wasn’t alone.”

Chat Noir stared at the man behind Ladybug. “Yeah, I can see that.”

Ladybug stepped back. “Chat, this is Paon, our new partner. Paon, you obviously know Chat Noir.”

The two men stared at each other. 

“Is there a reason we needed a new partner?” Chat Noir asked, still staring.

Ladybug flushed. “Well, um, I may have requested that Master Fu find someone to help out.”

“You didn’t tell me that.” Chat Noir was finally looking at her again.

“I know. I was going to! I didn’t think he’d have someone ready so soon.”

Ladybug’s earrings let out a loud beep. She turned to Paon. “Looks like I need to get out of here. Why don’t we all meet at the Tower tomorrow night at ten. We can talk more then.”

“I’ll be there, Spots,” Paon winked. “Chat,” he nodded sternly. 

__________________________

 

“I can explain,” Marinette said as soon as they hit the balcony and detransformed. 

“I need to get Plagg something to eat,” Adrien mumbled.

Marinette grabbed his arm. “Plagg is more than capable of getting his own cheese.” She nodded at the kwami who huffed and flew off. “Come sit with me.” She led him over to their big red couch.

Adrien looked at her, waiting.

“Okay, I really was going to tell you but we got a little, uh, distracted earlier.” Marinette’s cheeks turned pink and she was glad to see Adrien’s darken a little too. “Hawk Moth has really been hitting it hard with the akumas lately and with everything else going on, I didn’t think a little help would be the worst thing in the world.”

“I’m not a good enough partner.”

“It’s not about that, kitty. This is for both of us. It will be good to have someone else watching our backs.”

“How do we know we can trust him?”

“Master Fu chose him just like he chose you and me. Besides, I gave you the benefit of a doubt. Paon deserves the same, doesn’t he?”

Adrien sighed, “I guess, but I don’t think I like him.”

“Chaton, you’re not jealous, are you?” Marinette teased. “Should I have requested a female partner?” She crawled into his lap, straddling his hips. “Don’t you know by now that there is no one I want more than you?”

“Yeah?”

Marinette rolled her eyes but leaned in for a kiss.

_________________________

 

“You don’t have to go,” Marinette urged from the bed. “You could come back here and we could have a lazy day together.”

“That’s tempting,” Adrien smiled at her, a towel slung dangerously low around his hips. “But I like to keep my commitments.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

Adrien eyed the folded black binder on the bench at the foot of the bed. “I’ll be okay. I’ll tell them that either the clothes fit or they don’t. I can’t wear that thing.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Adrien looked back at her, surprised. “Why?”

“For standing up for yourself. It’s really sexy,” she winked. 

“You know,” Adrien said, checking his phone, “I don’t actually need to leave for at least another half hour.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“It sure would be a shame if that towel fell off and you tripped into bed,” Marinette smirked.

“An absolute shame,” Adrien echoed, loosening the towel as he neared the beautiful woman in their bed.

_____________________________

 

“I’m happy for you, Marinette,” Tikki hummed as she nibbled on a cookie.

Marinette laughed, stirring her coffee. “Why?”

“It’s always so nice when Ladybugs and Black Cats fall in love. Those are my favorite times.”

“Does it happen a lot?”

Tikki thought for a moment. “Not too often. Sometimes the holders don’t get along as well, sometimes they are related, and sometimes they just stay good friends. There is always something special about the ones who fall in love though. It’s a different kind of bond.”

“Do you love Plagg?” Marinette realized she had never really talked to Tikki about the other kwami.

“Of course, I do,” Tikki responded. “We’re two halves of a whole. No matter what changes, Plagg is my constant.”

“It must be hard when you aren’t together.”

“It is, but time doesn’t pass for us the same way as it does for humans. I miss him when we can’t interact but I always know I’ll see him again.”

Marinette nodded, chewing her lip. “Not to change the subject, but I might have a problem.”

“What?”

“Last night Paon knew I was Marinette. He straight-up guessed but seemed pretty convinced.”

Tikki furrowed her brows. “What did you say before he guessed?”

“He had asked where Chat was and I may have slipped up and said I had left him sleeping, but that shouldn’t have told him anything! Lots of people assume Ladybug and Chat Noir are an item.”

“But if it was someone who knew who Chat Noir is and who he is dating…”

“But nobody knows…oh no.”

___________________________

 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Miss Try-To-Bring-Down-A-Fashion-Empire.”

Alya turned to find herself face-to-face with one Chloe Bourgeois. “Hello, Chloe.”

“Alya.” Chloe cocked an eyebrow. “What could you possibly be doing in a place like this?” She gestured to the small designer boutique.

“I start a new job next week and wanted to find something to wear.”

“I highly doubt you can afford anything here,” Chloe sniffed.

“A pleasure as always,” Alya replied, dryly. “If you’ll excuse me—“

“Wait!” Chloe put a hand on her shoulder and Alya turned back. “Look, I’m sorry. Old habits die hard and all that.” She sighed. “What I actually wanted to say is that I think it’s really cool you tried to go up against Gabriel Agreste.”

“That’s…unexpected.”

Chloe turned up her nose. “It shouldn’t be. I think the man is scum. He’s been absolutely horrible to Adrikins his whole life.”

“You know Adrien?”

“We practically grew up together. I was his only friend until he was allowed to go to university.”

“That explains a lot.”

Chloe glared at Alya. 

“Sorry.”

“Anyway, I was curious as to what you have planned next.”

“Next?” Alya asked, confused.

Chloe flipped her ponytail in irritation. “Well, yeah. So Adrien kind of screwed the pooch with the protest but that doesn’t mean Gabriel doesn’t deserve to be knocked down a couple thousand notches.”

“I don’t actually have anything planned, Chloe. I tried, it failed, I’m moving on.”

“I never pegged you for a quitter, Cesaire.”

Alya sighed. “Look, Gabriel’s reach is too far for me, okay? He’s kind of got the future of my career in the palm of his hand right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently he recommended me for my dream job and I got it. I’m just waiting on the other shoe to drop.”

Chloe frowned. “Seems a little passive on your part.”

“No offense but I’m done talking to you. We weren’t friends in school and we aren’t friends now.”

“If that’s the way you want it, fine.”

“See you around, Chloe.”

________________________

 

“Adrien, darling, where is your binder? This just won’t do,” Emille tutted as he circled the model. 

“I’m not wearing the binder, Emille. If this won’t work, Father will just need to find another model for the campaign,” Adrien replied, voice steady. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest.

Emille studied him for a moment. “Something’s different about you, darling.”

“It was time for a change.”

“Hmmm.” Emille snapped his fingers. “Stefan, get Gabriel on the phone. We need to talk.”

Adrien held his breath as he stood alone in front of the dressing room mirror. He could feel beads of sweat forming at his hairline. His heart was beating too fast. 

‘Breathe’ he felt Marinette whisper through his mind. ‘You can do this my strong, handsome man.’ Adrien remembered her lips on him that morning, the gentle way she cupped his face, the way her hands explored his body greedily as if she couldn’t get enough. 

“I can do this,” he whispered to his reflection.

____________________________

 

“I can’t believe I have to work with freaking Adrien and Marinette,” Nathaniel groaned. “Is this some kind of punishment? Was I just a really bad person in my last life?”

Dusuu watched him, unimpressed. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“I’m in love with Marinette and she’s in love with Adrien.”

“You’re not in love with Marinette,” Dusuu laughed.

Nathaniel glared at her. 

“What?”

“Seeing as how you’ve only been in my life a little over forty-eight hours, let’s just assume you don’t know everything about me,” he ground out.

“Sorrrrrry. I’ve been around the block a few times though. I know a man in love and you, Red, are not it.”

Nathaniel frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you want to know my opinion now?” Dusuu sniffed.

“Don’t act like you don’t want to give it.”

The kwami studied her host for a moment. “From what I can tell, you love the idea of Marinette, not Marinette herself. I think you may just be lonely.”

The man thought about it for a moment. “I guess I am lonely…I don’t think that means my feelings for Marinette are any less real.”

“Maybe not,” the kwami conceded. “But I can assure you that if the Black Cat and Ladybug have intertwined themselves, there’s no hope for a bird like you. They were made for each other.”

________________________

 

“Nino!” Marinette called, jogging down the street.

Nino turned and grinned at her. “My second favorite lady in the world. What are you up to on this fine afternoon?”

“About to grab some lunch. What about you?”

“The same. Want to have a date?”

“Absolutely,” Marinette smiled, placing her arm through his. “How’s the new place coming?”

“Good, I guess. Nath and I got most of that craptastic furniture put together and I’ve unpacked most of my equipment. Alya is dragging her feet but she promises to at least unpack everything in the living room by this weekend.”

“Yeah, she lived out of boxes and garbage bags in our dorm until I finally made her unpack.”

Nino laughed. “Glad to know it’s not just me then. Ooo, want a burger?”

“So bad.”

The pair entered a small restaurant and found a table. “How are things going with Adrien?”

“Good. Some days are easier than others, but today seems like a good one,” Marinette answered, looking over the menu.

“You seem really happy together.”

Marinette smiled at Nino. “We are.”

“I’m glad. Just so you know, you’re still totally my back-up in case things with Alya don’t work out.”

“I better be. We have an agreement after all,” Marinette laughed. “If I’m not married by forty, you’re getting all this, Alya or not.”

“Alya would be fine with that, believe me,” Nino grinned. “Hey, I was thinking about seeing if Adrien and Nath want to do a guys’ thing on Saturday. You think he’d be down for it?”

Marinette shifted uneasily. “Uh, I don’t know. Adrien and Nathaniel don’t always get along.”

“Nathaniel may have admitted to actually liking Adrien the other day so I think things may be okay,” Nino said, eyes twinkling.

“Really?” Marinette asked, surprised. 

“It was something along the lines of not wanting to admit it but Adrien may actually be cool.”

“That’s really nice to know actually.”

“I thought so. Of course, I may not have helped matters by teasing Nath that he had a crush on Adrien and telling him I was already forty percent gay for the guy,” Nino laughed.

“Wow, forty percent, that’s getting up there.”

“Tell me about it. But it’s my cross to bear, I suppose,” he replied dramatically.

“Don’t worry. I’m about forty percent gay for Alya so it evens out,” Marinette teased.

Nino took her hands in his. “Please don’t ever tell her that.”


	24. Chapter 24

“I don’t have a lot of time today, Father. Emille said you asked to see me.” Adrien entered the office with a fake confidence he was working very hard to maintain.

“Yes, Adrien, take a seat.” Gabriel kept his eyes on his desktop screen. 

Adrien checked his phone. Five minutes. That’s all he would wait. He felt a thrill run through him at the thought of walking out on his father. He should text Marinette while he was waiting.

 **Adrien:** Just wanted to say I love you and I hope you’re having a great day.

The blinking ellipses immediately lit up, making him smile.

 **Maribug:** I hope the same for you, kitty. Still at the shoot?

Gabriel cleared his throat and Adrien looked up in the middle of typing his reply. “Emille told me you refused to wear the binder they provided for the shoot.”

Adrien nodded. “I did. I didn’t feel like it was necessary.”

“If you couldn’t fit into the clothes, obviously it was necessary.”

Adrien chose not to reply but tightened his grip on his phone.

“Son, if you are going to be the face of this campaign, I need you to work for it.”

“I am willing to work for our company. I’m not willing to hurt myself doing it any longer. If you don’t think I represent the company well in my current state, perhaps it would be better for us to renegotiate.”

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, face thoughtful. “Renegotiate?”

“I could quit modeling and work on the business side of things. It would be a shame for my shiny new degree to go to waste.” Adrien smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Hmmmm.”

Adrien swallowed thickly. He could feel the sweat on his palm slicking against his phone case.

“I’ll think about it,” Gabriel finally said. “It would be good for you to know more about the inner-workings of the company after all. I don’t agree that you should quit modeling all together but we can table that for the time being.”

“That’s fair.” Adrien stood quickly. “I need to go now. Call me when you’ve reached a decision.”

“Would you like to stay for lunch?”

“I…” Adrien’s phone buzzed in his hand.

 **Maribug:** If you get this soon and are free, I’m going to my parents’ for lunch. Mom made a new quiche she wants to try out for the bakery. Join us if you can.  <3

“I have plans actually. Perhaps next time.”

Gabriel eyed his son. “Yes, perhaps.”

______________________

 

Alya bounced her leg in irritation. Chloe’s words kept running through her head. “I never pegged you for a quitter, Cesaire.”

“Quitter. Quitter. Quitter,” the fan above her whispered as it rotated.

“Quit. Quit. Quit,” the fabric of her pants rustled as her leg bounced.

She stood up angrily and started to pace. “I’m not a quitter,” she muttered.

_____________________

 

“Adrien?”

Adrien turned to see Circe leaning against the brick façade of a café. “Hi.”

“Hey,” she said roughly. She took a drag off a cigarette.

“What, uh what are you doing out here?”

“I work here now.” She gestured nonchalantly behind her. “It’s pretty much the only job I’m qualified for since, you know, your dad blackballed me from modeling with just about every agency in the city.”

“He what?!”

Circe looked at him intently. “You didn’t know?”

“Of course not! Why would he do something like that?”

Circe cocked an eyebrow.

“R-right, sorry,” Adrien blushed. “That just seems unnecessary. I mean, I get letting you go after the protest and article but to blackball you from other agencies…”

“Are you really that oblivious?”

Adrien looked at her helplessly.

“Your dad is a vindictive bag of dicks, Adrien. I’ve always thought you were a nice guy. I still do, I guess, but walking in the show while the rest of us stayed out was a really shitty thing to do.”

Adrien dropped his head. “I know that now. I’m really sorry. I promise it wasn’t intentional.”

“I figured as much.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Circe studied his earnest face. “Get me back in the industry and we’ll be square.”

Adrien nodded. “I promise.”

“Don’t do that unless you mean it.”

__________________________

 

“Dude, you made it!” Nino greeted Adrien with a mouth full of quiche. 

“Hey, man.” Adrien slapped his hand with a grin. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“Marinette and I have decided to date so you’ll be seeing a lot more of me from now on.”

Adrien cocked an eyebrow. “Is that so? And where is this new girlfriend of yours?”

“Hi!” Marinette walked out from the back of the bakery. She reached up to kiss Adrien lightly on the lips. “How are you?”

“Well, I was fine until I realized I’ve been replaced,” he sighed dramatically. “I mean, I get it. Just look at the guy.” Adrien looked down at Nino. “He’s so brown and delicious.”

“Apparently I missed something,” Marinette giggled. “Hungry?”

“Very,” Adrien grinned. 

“Sit. I’ll bring some more out. Good thing you got here. Nino is trying to eat the whole thing all by himself.”

“Hey! Sabine said she wanted my honest opinion. Sometimes it takes three or four slices to reach that level of honesty,” Nino protested.

Marinette rolled her eyes and disappeared behind the counter.

Adrien sat down at the small table. “Is Alya getting excited about starting her new job?”

Nino raised his cap and scratched the top of his head. “Eh, yes and no. She’s super pumped about the job but a little wary that your dad is the one who recommended her for it.”

“He did?”

“You didn’t know?”

Adrien shook his head. 

“Shit, man, I was half hoping you had asked him to do it.”

“I can talk to him about it.”

Nino shook his head. “Maybe let’s just wait and see. I mean, I can’t fathom a good reason he would have put Alya up for the job but if anyone can make it work, it’s her.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Adrien replied unconvinced.

“Hey, are you doing anything on Saturday? I’m in desperate need of a full day of video games and junk food.”

“I think I’m free. That sounds really fun actually.”

Nino grinned. “Awesome. Nathaniel said he’s in too.”

“Oh.”

“Come on, I thought you guys were getting along!”

“I don’t know, man—“

A piercing shriek followed by an explosion shook all the glass in the bakery. Marinette ran out front, wide-eyed.

“Ah, not another stupid akuma,” Nino whined. “I need to get home. Alya will be trying to kill herself to get a good shot.” He grabbed his messenger bag and ran out the door with a wave.

“Ready, Bugaboo?”

“Looks like we have a job to do.”

________________________

 

Paon was bent over and panting when Ladybug and Chat Noir reached the akuma. Sweat was pouring down his face, his hair slicked back and drenched.

“What are we dealing with?” Ladybug asked, looking over the charred streets.

“This guy is no joke,” Paon breathed. “He’s literally made of fire. I couldn’t get close enough to even guess what his akuma could be.”

“Are you hurt?” Ladybug closed in on Paon, reaching for his arm.

Paon stepped back, cradling his right arm. “He got in a lucky shot. I’ll be fine,” he said roughly.

“Maybe a Lucky Charm is the way to start today, My Lady,” Chat Noir suggested, watching a wooden flower cart burst into flames.

“I think you’re right, kitty.”

_______________________

 

“Damn it,” Chat Noir cursed, holding Ladybug close to his body. “Stay with me.”

“It hurts,” she moaned quietly.

“I know, sweetheart. I just need you to hold on a little bit longer.” He kissed the top of her head and then turned. “Paon, now!”

Paon nodded and turned the strong spray of water from the busted line so that it drenched the flaming akuma. 

“Keep her safe,” Chat Noir commanded, transferring Ladybug into Paon’s arms. The man winced from his own injuries but held on tight.

Chat Noir ran with all his strength to the fledging akuma. “Cataclysm!” he screamed as he got closer her. He ripped away the bracelet around the akuma’s wrist with his left hand. A dark butterfly fluttered out but Chat caught it in his bubbling right fist before it could go any further. Smoke and an acrid odor burned his nostrils as the akuma withered to ash under his power.

The akuma victim looked up at Chat Noir with bleary eyes. Chat Noir glanced at him before running back to his partners. He grabbed up the red and black polka dotted wrench that had been the first of three Lucky Charms.

“Can you hold this, Bug?” Chat tried to wrap Ladybug’s hands around the tool and she cried out. “Okay, uh…” He looked at Paon helplessly but the other man only stared back, equally lost.

Chat Noir grabbed the large wrench and threw it as high as he could. “Miraculous Ladybug!” He gasped in relief when hundreds of magical ladybugs erupted from the sky.

Chat Noir stumbled to his knees. Paon followed his lead, still cradling Ladybug close to his chest. 

“My Lady?” Chat Noir reached over to touched Ladybug’s cheek but her eyes stayed closed. He pulled her out of Paon’s grasp and rested her in his lap.

“Shouldn’t the magical bug things be healing us?” Paon asked in a pained voice.

“Y-yeah,” Chat Noir looked around worried. “They always have before.”

Ladybug’s transformation fell away and Tikki fell to the ground, gasping. “I-I’m sorry. I c-couldn’t…” The kwami’s blue eyes rolled back and she passed out. Marinette looked worse than she had as Ladybug. An angry burn ran down her thigh and her left shoulder was a black and bloody mess. Her dark hair was a stringy, sweaty mass matted against a bloody spot on the back of her head.

“Shit,” Paon cursed. “Adrien, we have to get her to the hospital now!”

Chat Noir looked at him with wide panicked eyes. “I-I…Marinette…she c-can’t—“

Paon reared back and slapped him as hard as he could. “Listen to me! She needs you to keep it together. Come on, help me get her up.”

The two men struggled to stand, both dealing with their own share of injuries. Chat Noir dropped his transformation. “Plagg, can you get Tikki?”

The cat kwami shot down to his other half, cradling her to him. He rose with her, green eyes pained. 

Paon dropped his transformation. “Dusuu, help Plagg with, uh, Tikki.” The peacock kwami nodded and joined the other two. 

Adrien stared at Nathaniel. “We’ll talk later,” Nathaniel said gruffly. “Come on, let’s go.”

_________________________

 

“What did the doctor say?” Alya asked quietly, looking in through the window.

“She has severe third degree burns on her shoulder and thigh. There was blunt force trauma to the back of her head that has caused some swelling around her brain. The b-burns on her shoulder may be bad enough to limit her m-mobility,” Sabine replied, voice breaking. “They’re trying to keep her asleep for right now. The p-pain is going to be…”

Alya wrapped an arm around the older woman. “She’ll pull through. Our girl’s too strong to let this keep her down.”

Sabine only nodded. 

“She got caught in the akuma attack?”

“That’s the story,” Sabine replied carefully.

“It just doesn’t make sense. Ladybug’s cure has always fixed anyone who got hurt during an attack,” Alya commented.

“Maybe it was too much for her this time.”

“Who brought her in?”

“Adrien and Nathaniel. Apparently the three of them were together when the attack happened.”

Alya frowned. “Nino said Adrien and Marinette were at the bakery during the attack.”

“Any change?” Tom asked, effectively interrupting Alya’s train of thought. 

“The doctor hasn’t been back yet,” Sabine answered, leaning into her husband. 

“Has anyone seen to him yet?” Tom nodded his head towards Adrien. He was sitting in a chair by Marinette’s bed as close as he could possibly get. His head was bowed over their linked hands. Blood stained his cloths in different places from carrying her.

“A nurse tried. He refuses to leave her.”

Tom opened the door to his daughter’s room and walked in. “Adrien, you need to get checked out.”

“I’m fine,” he said quietly, head down.

“Son, I’m going to take over watch for a while. Marinette is going to need you strong and healthy for her, okay?”

Adrien lifted his tear-stained face. “I can’t leave her.”

Tom glanced back at the two women watching from the other side of the window. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Ladybug is going to need Chat Noir ready in case there’s another attack while she’s healing. We can’t let her down, right?”

“You know,” Adrien said flatly.

“I’ve known about Mari for a while. It wasn’t hard to put your sudden appearance in my daughter’s life and Chat Noir’s together. I don’t know what went wrong this time but I know you kids do everything you can for this city.” Tom laid a large hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “You’re part of the family now, Adrien. Sabine and I don’t want you in pain either.”

Adrien blinked up at the man.

“Go out to Sabine and Alya. They’ll help you get cleaned up.” Tom prodded Adrien out of the chair. 

Adrien stood reluctantly but leaned down to kiss Marinette’s cheek. “I love you,” he whispered.


	25. Chapter 25

“All right, Kurtzberg, tell me what you know,” Alya demanded as soon as the hospital room door shut behind her.

“Damn, Al, ease up,” Nino said, standing up from his chair by the bed. “Nath got hurt too.”

Nathaniel looked at Alya uneasily. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s a little odd that you, Adrien, and Marinette were the only people hurt during the akuma attack, don’t ya think?”

“Must have been a wrong place, wrong time sort of thing.”

“Uh-huh. And how did the three of you happen to be in the same place? I mean, Marinette and Adrien are a given but where were you, my little tomato?” Alya prodded. 

Nathaniel didn’t respond.

“Actually, yeah,” Nino scratched his chin. “Marinette and Adrien were in the bakery with me when the attack happened. You were across town. I talked to you right before lunch about this weekend and you were going to that fancy smancy art supply place.”

“I…uh…”

“You’re Paon, aren’t you?” Alya accused.

“Wait, what?!” Nino looked back and forth between them. “The new peacock guy?!”

Nathaniel sighed. “This must be a record for shortest secret identity.”

“It’s not your fault, Red. These things happen.” Dusuu flew out from under Nathaniel’s blanket. 

“What the hell is that thing?!” Nino asked, backing up.

“I’m not a thing, you brute. My name is Dusuu,” the blue kwami sniffed.

“You must be his kwami,” Alya said. “Like Tikki.”

“She’s how I turn into Paon,” Nathaniel added, voice tired. He looked at Alya. “Wait, if you know about Tikki, then you know—“

Nino spun on his girlfriend. “Wait, yeah, how do you know about this stuff?”

“So I was going to tell you at some point…”

“You’re Ladybug! Wait…no…that can’t possibly be right…”

Alya laughed. “Marinette is Ladybug, doofus. Tikki is her kwami. She was with us in the dorm, like, all the time.”

Nino pointed a shaky finger at Dusuu. “One of those things was with us all the time?”

“I don’t like you,” Dusuu huffed.

“Well, sure, any time Marinette was around.”

“How long have you known about Mari?” Nathaniel interrupted.

Alya tapped her chin. “Uh, three years now, I think. She got tired of me pestering her about the Ladyblog and just dropped her transformation. She had her hands on her hips and she was doing that angry badger face she does when she’s peeved.”

Nathaniel laughed. “She didn’t do that with me. I think she was more shocked than anything.”

Nino fell back into the chair. “So Marinette is Ladybug and Nathaniel is Paon.”

“Yeah.”

“No,” Nino shook his head.

“No?” Nathaniel asked.

“No,” Nino repeated. “If that’s that case, that means Adrien…”

“See, you’re good at this stuff, babe!” Alya kissed his cheek.

“Adrien is not Chat Noir.”

“Well…but, uh, he is though,” Nathaniel said.

“No, he’s not,” Nino insisted.

“Babe, I promise he is,” Alya argued.

“There is no way that my buddy Adrien is Chat Noir. I’m sorry. That’s ridiculous.”

Alya and Nathaniel shared an incredulous look. Alya opened her mouth but her response was cut off by the door opening behind her.

Tom ducked his head in. “Marinette’s awake. She’s in a lot of pain but she wants to see everyone.”

_____________________

 

“It’s my fault,” Adrien murmured against her hand. “I destroyed the akuma. I threw the Lucky Charm. I wasn’t fast enough. I let you get hurt. It was my bad luck. My fault, my fault…”

Marinette swam in and out of consciousness. In all honesty, she would have rather stayed unconscious. Her skin felt too tight and everything throbbed in a steady ache. The room was hot, too hot. She had felt better a little earlier. She had been able to speak and even got a few ice chips down. 

Adrien’s constant whispers against her skin were soothing though. She couldn’t make out what he was saying but it was nice to have him with her. He was always with her. She could take comfort in that.

_____________________

 

“Nathaniel, dear, should you be out of bed?” Sabine asked when the group came down the hall.

“I’m okay. My arm will heal and I was just staying here to deal with dehydration.” Nathaniel gently wheeled the IV stand in front of him.

“How is she?” Nino bent down to hug Sabine.

“I think she’s back out again. Sorry to have drug you kids down here.”

“Can we still go in and see her?”

“Go on in,” Tom said, exchanging a look with his wife.

“Hey, man,” Nino greeted softly once they were all in side. 

Adrien raised his head. Dark circles shadowed his eyes and his skin was chalky pale. “Hey,” he replied hoarsely.

“Have you eaten anything today?” Alya rubbed his back.

“I’m not hungry.”

Alya rolled her eyes and poked her head back out the door. “Would you guys mind grabbing something to eat for Adrien? He’ll let himself starve before he leaves her again.”

“Of course.” Tom led his wife down the hall.

“You will eat everything those wonderful people bring you, do you understand?”

Adrien didn’t respond.

Nathaniel wheeled his IV stand over to the other side of Marinette. He looked her over, frowning, and then met Adrien’s eyes. “This isn’t your fault.”

“I should have been faster.”

“That guy was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There wasn’t anything you could have done. She was in a bad place at a bad time,” Nathaniel insisted. 

“It’s my fault.”

“Then it’s my fault too.”

Adrien frowned.

“See? Your logic is faulty, Whiskers.”

“I don’t have whiskers,” he grumbled.

“Actually, you do.” Alya took Adrien’s chin firmly in her hand. “Look at that baby stubble. I’ve never seen you anything but clean-shaven, Agreste. I kind of like this.”

Adrien pulled his face out of her grip and laid his head back down on Marinette’s hand, nuzzling his cheek against her skin.

“Holy crap, you’re Chat Noir.” Nino dropped down into a chair against the wall.

Adrien barely glanced over at him before returning his attention to Marinette. “Yeah. Fat lot of good it did her.”

“Where’s Tikki?” Alya looked around.

“Here.” There was some rustling and Plagg pushed down a corner of Marinette’s blankets. Tikki was curled into a ball, eyes closed tight. “We need to take her to the Guardian. She’s not getting any better.”

“Oh, Tikki.” Dusuu flew out from Nathaniel’s hoodie. “You think Fu can help her?”

“He’s our only shot.”

“Who’s this Fu guy?” Nathaniel asked.

“He’s the Guardian of all the inactive Miraculous. He’s the one who chose all of you,” Dusuu explained. 

“He has a massage parlor not far from the bakery,” Adrien said. “Plagg can show you.”

“You’re not coming, Kid?”

“I have to stay with her.”

___________________________________

 

After an hour of chanting, Tikki was better and resting on a small pillow. Master Fu poured tea into four porcelain cups and one tiny teacup. A turtle-like green kwami sipped from the small cup.

“Where is Chat Noir?” Master Fu asked, eyes on his tea.

“You know where he is, Old Man,” Plagg replied.

“Not wise to be so far away from his kwami.”

“He doesn’t care so much about that right now. Besides, Tik needed me more than Adrien.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Cat.”

“Master, is it wise to be saying such things in front of our…guests?” the turtle kwami inquired, shooting wary looks at Alya, Nino, and Nathaniel.

“You worry too much, Wayzz,” Master Fu laughed. 

“Since Tikki is better, can she redo the Miraculous Cure? Maybe she can fix Mari?” Nathaniel looked back at the red kwami.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, Paon. The cure already went out and too much time has passed. Ladybug will have to heal naturally.”

“But…I can’t do this on my own. I don’t think Chat is going to be much help right now honestly. That last akuma was…terrifying. He almost killed us.”

“Yes, Hawk Moth’s power does seem to be growing exponentially as of late.” Master Fu stroked his beard. “Perhaps it is time for more heroes to take a stand.”

“Wow. This is the scoop of a lifetime,” Alya grinned. “Who do you have in mind?”

“You.”

“Wait, me?!” Alya’s eyes widened.

“Her?!” Nino exclaimed.

“And you.” Master Fu nodded.

“Me?!” Nino gasped.

“Him?!” Alya looked over at her shocked boyfriend.

“I don’t see why not. I’ve seen your bravery before. You’re loyal to Ladybug. You’ve kept her secret for many years.”

“I-I just found out today, dude, and to be honest, I am not handling it well,” Nino admitted.

“Nonsense, you’ll be fine.” Master Fu shuffled over to an old music box. 

____________________________

 

Gabriel rewound the transportation security footage he had attained of the last akuma fight. He once again watched Ladybug take a blast to one full side of her body. She dropped like dead weight and Chat Noir scooped her up before the akuma could do more damage. He watched a familiar look of panic race across Chat Noir’s face. He had seen that look hundreds of times over the years. How could he have been so blind?

“Nathalie,” Gabriel called.

“Yes sir?”

“Were you able to find out anything about the civilians injured in the akuma battle yesterday?”

Nathalie cleared her throat. “I just got off the phone with the hospital. It seems that Adrien’s girlfriend was one of the ones badly injured,” Nathalie said, glancing up from her tablet. “Adrien was also treated for minor injuries but was released immediately.”

“Have you spoken with Adrien directly?” Gabriel asked.

“No sir. I spoke with hospital staff. Apparently he has only left Miss Dupain-Cheng’s side once to change clothes. They told him he couldn’t stay past visiting hours and he informed them they would have to drag him out kicking and screaming. They seemed to find that less than desirable.”

“Adrien has always had a flair for the dramatic,” Gabriel commented. “Have Petrov bring the car around. I want to visit my son.”

Nathalie grimaced. “Right away, sir.”

_______________________

 

“Master, please don’t do this. We could give him the Bee,” Wayzz pleaded.

“It’s time, old friend. You are needed in battle again. I’ve held onto you much longer than I should have,” Master Fu replied fondly. “Besides, he is not meant for the Bee. His heart is too kind. They would be at odds.”

“But without me—“

“I know. I’ve had a good run.”

“One that doesn’t have to end, Master!”

“I’ve made my decision, Wayzz. You’ll have to lead them now.”

________________________

 

“What if she…Tom, what if she can’t use her shoulder anymore? She won’t be able to sew or draw. She won’t be able to be Ladybug anymore. It will crush her.” Sabine wiped angrily at her eyes. “Why her?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart.” The large man cradled his wife in his arms. 

They had finally come back home after being assured Marinette would not be waking until morning after her second dose of pain medication. Sabine had tried to convince Adrien to come with them but he had stubbornly stayed in his chair by the bed. Sabine was secretly relieved he would be watching over her.

“I wish we could help somehow. I would punch that Hawk Moth right in the throat,” Sabine promised, eyes narrowed.

Tom chuckled and kissed his wife’s head. “I have no doubt you would.”

__________________________

 

“Adrien.”

Adrien’s head shot up and his chair slid back with a screech as he stood. “F-father? What are you doing here?”

“I heard about you and Marinette and wanted to make sure you are well.” Gabriel entered further into the room, the door swinging closed behind him. “Were you hurt badly?”

“Scrapes and bruises, nothing major,” Adrien replied carefully.

“It looks a bit worse for Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Gabriel circled around to the other side of the bed so he was facing Adrien.

Adrien looked down at his girlfriend, small and pale in the bed. “Y-yeah. She got hit with a blast from the akuma. We were trapped for a while under some rubble.”

“Is that so?”

Adrien nodded, keeping his eyes on Marinette.

“It’s a shame Ladybug and Chat Noir couldn’t help out more.”

“I-I’m sure they did everything they could.”

“Perhaps,” Gabriel conceded. “I could have her moved out of here. There is a burn specialist in Great Britain who has worked miracles if the stories are to be believed.”

Adrien looked up. “You would do that?”

“For the love of my son’s life, of course.”

“That’s really…thank you, Father.”

“I would ask for something in return, of course.”

Adrien felt his throat dry. “W-what?”

“I want Chat Noir’s ring.”

Adrien took a step back. “H-how would I get you that?”

“I’m sure you could figure something out,” Gabriel replied nonchalantly, making a point to look at the silver ring on Adrien’s finger. “It would be a shame if Miss Dupain-Cheng lost all feeling and mobility in her shoulder. I’m sure it would put quite the damper on her other…hmmm, what’s the word I’m looking for…duties.”

Sharp, stabbing cold flowed through Adrien’s veins. “Are you threatening Marinette?” He asked, voice low and steady.

“Of course not. I’m simply stating facts.” Gabriel glanced over Marinette’s prone form. He placed a hand to her head, brushing some of her hair back. “She is rather beautiful.”

“You need to leave,” Adrien growled. “Now.”

Gabriel watched his son over the rim of his glasses. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours to bring me the ring, Adrien. The sooner you do, the sooner your girlfriend can get the help she needs. Make the wise choice.” He turned on his heel and walked out.

Adrien collapsed back into the chair, left hand grasping his right.


	26. Chapter 26

“I don’t know about this, guys. I think this was a mistake.” Jade Turtle pulled at the synthetic dark green material of his suit. “How do I get out of this thing?!”

“Just breathe,” Paon suggested. “It’s a lot the first time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vixen grinned, barring sharp canines. “This feels amazing!”

“Babe, I can’t do this. I can’t—“ Jade Turtle slumped down to the rooftop. 

“Nino!” 

Jade Turtle looked up sheepishly. “My knees gave out.”

Paon offered him a hand up and Vixen put an arm around his waist once he was standing again.

“If you really can’t to do this, I understand,” Vixen said. “But you need to know that I have to do this.”

“Please don’t. Al, look at what happened to Mari. I can’t…That can’t happen to you.”

“That’s going to happen to everyone if there’s no one to stand up against Hawk Moth,” Paon replied quietly.

Jade Turtle looked between the two of them helplessly. 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir have been protecting us but now we need to protect them,” Vixen urged.

“Can I think about it?”

_______________________________

 

“Hey, man, how is she?” Nino held out a Styrofoam cup. “I brought you some coffee, figured you could use it.”

Adrien looked up numbly at Nino, eyes glazed and jaw slack.

“Dude,” Nino breathed. “Are you okay?”

Adrien’s lips thinned and he shook his head.

Plagg flew out of Nino’s messenger bag, startling the man. “Kid, what happened?”

Tikki followed Plagg and settled on Marinette’s chest. “Oh, Mari,” she sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

“M-my father…h-he knows.” Adrien started to shake. “H-he wants my ring.”

“Well, he’s not going to get it,” Plagg growled.

“He’ll hurt her,” Adrien whispered. His hand tightened on Marinette’s limp wrist.

“No, he won’t,” Tikki replied, voice cold.

“How’s your dad even know?” Nino asked, dropping down into a chair beside Adrien.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I honestly have no idea but he does. He didn’t come right out and say it, but he may as well have.”

“Why does he care?”

“Master Fu believes Gabriel may be Hawk Moth,” Wayzz interjected, poking his head out of Nino’s bag. “This seems to add weight to that theory.”

“No, that’s not…he can’t be,” Adrien stammered. “My father can be a bastard but he…”

“I don’t know.” Nino scratched his chin. “Makes a lot of sense to me actually.”

“I felt the presence of Nooroo in the area of the Agreste mansion when Hawk Moth first came to power. Master Fu assumed you were the holder of the Butterfly Miraculous. That’s why he had Ladybug get close to you,” Wayzz explained.

“Get close to me?” Adrien asked numbly.

“Of course, it didn’t take long to realize you were not the holder after all. Master Fu told Ladybug she didn’t have to watch you any longer, and we started to concentrate more on Gabriel.”

“So Marinette only talked to me because she was told to?” Adrien could see her tripping in front of him as he came down the stairs of the Business building. Her laugh as he excitedly explained the plot of ‘Aladdin’ to her over coffee, her injured wrist wrapped with an ace bandage. Texting with her that first night for hours. 

“Don’t do this, Adrien. You don’t understand,” Tikki interrupted his memories. Adrien didn’t look at her. “Yes, Master Fu is the one who told Marinette to first talk to you, but everything after that was all her.” The kwami landed on his shoulder and pressed a paw to his cheek. “She fell in love with you.”

“He’d have to be a complete and utter idiot not to realize that, Tik,” Plagg said dryly. “You’re not a complete and utter idiot, are you, Kid?”

“Dude, look, all this,” Nino gestured to the assorted kwamis, “is new and totally freaky to me, but I know Mari. I’ve known her forever and I can promise you that she has never looked at anyone the way she looks at you. So it doesn’t matter how you guys met, right?”

“Right,” Adrien replied slowly.

“So take this coffee before it becomes cold sludge and let’s talk about how we’re going to kick your dad’s ass.”

_____________________________

 

“I know you’re a badass and all,” Nathaniel said, “but I’m still a little worried about it being just the two of us out there.”

Alya laid her head back against the couch. “I know. I mean, you’re right, I am a badass,” she winked, “but this is kind of heavy stuff.”

“You think Nino’s going to join us?”

“I honestly don’t know. He’s definitely a ‘consider the options’ kind of guy. It took him five months to decide on a new mixer because he had to read every review he could find on his top three contenders. He’s, like, the worst person to go shopping with.”

“Seems like the Turtle is a perfect fit for him then,” Nathaniel grinned.

“You might be right,” Alya chuckled.

_____________________

 

“Adrien, honey, why don’t you take a walk down the hall and stretch your legs?” Sabine suggested as Tom slid Adrien’s chair back from the bed.

“I-I’m fine.”

“We insist, Son.” Tom urged Adrien out of the chair and walked him to the door. “You can come back in fifteen minutes.”

“But—“

“Go grab something to eat, walk around, use the bathroom, go outside. Take fifteen minutes.”

Adrien stood outside the door stubbornly. 

“The fifteen minutes doesn’t start until I can’t see you anymore,” Tom warned.

Adrien shuffled his feet and looked back through the room window. “Fifteen minutes?”

“Only fifteen minutes,” Tom agreed.

The younger man pointedly pulled out his phone and started a timer. He gave Tom one last look and reluctantly started down the hall.

“I’m shocked that actually worked,” Sabine commented when her husband returned alone.

“I’m not sure that it did honestly. If we see Chat Noir hanging by his tail outside the window, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.”

“He’s head over heels for her.” Sabine smoothed Marinette’s hair. The younger woman moved her head slightly into the motion, eyes still closed.

“Part of me wants to be irritated by it, but I just can’t be. All I ever wanted was for someone to love Mari as much as we do. It worries me though.”

“Let’s work on getting our girl healthy and then we can worry about it.”

“Maman?” Marinette whispered.

Sabine and Tom straightened up. “Hello, darling. How are you feeling?”

“Water?”

Sabine poured water into a small cup from a pitcher on the tray at the end of the bed. Tom elevated the head of the bed so Marinette was a bit more upright. Marinette took a few sips and sighed. “Thanks.”

“Are you hurting? I can call the nurse to give you more pain medication.”

 

Marinette shook her head slowly “I want to stay awake for a while.” Her eyes wandered for a moment before landing back on her parents. “Adrien?”

“I had to kick him out,” Tom explained. “He’s been here over 36 hours without a break.”

“Oh.” Marinette tried not to sound as disappointed as she felt.

“Good grief, at least it’s not one-sided, I guess,” Tom chuckled.

Sabine hit his arm playfully. “He’ll be back in just a few minutes, honey. Is there anything we can get you?”

“What all is wrong with me?”

The parents exchanged a concerned glance. “Don’t worry about that right now.”

Marinette gave them a stubborn look. “I’ll just ask Adrien.”

“For crying out loud,” Tom mumbled. “The swelling on your brain has gone down so that’s excellent. Your burns are still pretty bad though, sweetie.”

Marinette chewed on her lip. “How bad?”

“It’s too early to be sure, but there’s the possibility of limited mobility in your shoulder and arm,” Sabine answered gently.

Marinette inhaled sharply. She felt a small paw press into her side and relief washed over her. Tikki was with her. It would be okay.

“I might become a betting man. I could probably make some good money,” Tom muttered. 

Sabine and Marinette looked at him confused. Tom gestured to the large window on the opposite wall. Black cat ears, a mop of blonde hair, and bright green cat eyes hidden behind a mask peeked out from the bottom of the left hand corner of the glass. Marinette smiled. 

Tom looked down at his phone. “In the boy’s defense, he made it nine minutes.”

____________________________

 

“Hi,” Marinette smiled.

“Hi,” Adrien croaked. Tom and Sabine had taken mercy on the couple and went to the waiting room for a few minutes.

Marinette held up a shaky hand and Adrien grasped it immediately, bringing it to his face. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

“I’ve been right here.”

“I heard. You need to take better care of yourself, kitty.”

Adrien didn’t respond but continued to nuzzle his cheek against her palm. 

“I like the stubble,” Marinette smiled.

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “It’s rugged.”

Adrien laughed in surprise. “I don’t think anyone has ever called me rugged.”

“It suits you.”

“How are you, Bugsy?” Plagg perched himself on her stomach. 

She smiled down at him fondly. “I’ve been better,” she confessed.

“You still look beautiful.”

“Are you flirting with my girlfriend?” Adrien accused.

Plagg sniffed. “We have a special relationship. You wouldn’t understand.”

Adrien rolled his eyes.

“Don’t mind him, Adrien,” Tikki said. “Plagg can’t help himself sometimes. He’s always been an incessant flirt.”

“That’s not true!”

__________________________

 

“I have two things,” Nino announced as he entered the apartment. Nathaniel and Alya eyed him from the couch they had taken up residence on hours before. “First, I brought Chinese food because I’m hungry and figured you guys are too.”

Nino dropped two large bags on the counter and the smell enticed the other two to leave their spots. Nino pulled out boxes and containers, spreading them along the counter. Alya grabbed a box of chicken friend rice and Nathaniel picked at the egg rolls.

“Second, I’m all in. Let’s kick Hawk Moth’s ass.”

Nathaniel paused, egg roll suspended in mid-air. “What made you change your mind so quickly?”

“You know, the whole truth, justice, fighting for what’s right thing,” Nino shrugged. “Oh! Also, Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth so there’s that little factor too.”

“WHAT?!”

_______________________

 

Hawk Moth took in the different emotional outbursts around the city. He played with the idea of sending out one of his akuma just to see what would happen. There were plenty of options to choose from.

Would Adrien show up as Chat Noir and fight Hawk Moth’s champion or would he let Paris burn in order to stay by his Lady’s side? It was tempting to find out. Surely the Peacock wouldn’t be able to handle anything on his own, new as he was.

Adrien’s deadline was coming up. He had nine more hours to bring the ring. There was something delightfully exciting about not knowing what his son would do. Adrien had always been such an underwhelming pushover. While it was irritating to have him on the wrong side, Gabriel took pride in seeing the young man finally stand for something, even if he was going to have to crush him back into the ground.

An akuma fluttered over to Hawk Moth, perching on his cane. Bright white wings flapped up and down gently. The Miraculous supposedly kept their holders safe from akuma possession or Gabriel would have sent one to Adrien long before now. Perhaps after he handed over the ring. After all, he was family.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take a minute to address a comment I got yesterday about the nature of this story. A reader was very upset about Adrien's eating disorder because there had been no warnings. While i have fixed that and added warnings now, I do have a few notes:
> 
> 1\. If you are ever reading one of my (or anyone else's honestly) stories and it makes you uncomfortable or brings up bad feelings, STOP READING. Don't worry about what's going to happen next. This is fiction. There is absolutely no reason to hurt yourself over it. The commenter said they wanted to vomit. That is definitely not the reaction I am aiming for.
> 
> 2\. When I start a story, I don't always know where it is going to go. That's just how I write. When I began this one, I had no thought of having Adrien deal with an eating disorder. Gabriel was going to be overbearing and controlling but it evolved into much more than that. I've dealt with my own eating disorder and this story became a place to get out some residual feelings about that. I just don't think to update the tags. It's as simple as that. I let the story pour out as organically as possible and I apologize if you have been surprised badly by something. I guess part of me feels like sometimes the tags take a little too much away from the story, but I definitely don't mean any harm by leaving something out. If you feel strongly about a tag being needed, please let me know (nicely and as undramatically as possible).
> 
> 3\. I enjoy writing. I enjoy the Miraculous characters. I love seeing all the comments of people enjoying the stories and I really appreciate it. Thank you guys!

Master Fu watched the blonde woman sitting alone, sipping her coffee. She wore large dark sunglasses that hid her eyes but it was obvious she was steadily observing those around her. Her mouth quirked every so often as if she found it all amusing.

Fu stood slowly, feeling the extended years of his life weigh heavily on his bones. Without Wayzz’s protection and aid, he didn’t have much time left. He would have time enough though.

“Excuse me, miss, would you humor an old man with a little company?”

The blonde woman looked up at him through her black shades. “I doubt I’m the kind of company you’re looking for.”

Fu laughed. “That’s where you are quite mistaken, Miss Bourgeois.”

________________________

 

“And how’s our brave Bug today?” Nathaniel asked, brandishing a large bouquet of flowers.

“How did you know I love Gerber daisies?!” Marinette smiled, taking the flowers from him. She brought them to her nose and inhaled. “They’re beautiful. Thanks, Nath.”

“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl,” he grinned.

Alya cleared her throat. “That’s not all.” She slid her laptop out of her bag and opened it on the bedside tray. “I loaded, like, every romantic comedy I could think of on here. You could pretty much just stay in here and watch them for at least five or so years.”

“Wow, that’s—“

“Wait! I’ve got these chocolates you like so much from that place down the street,” Nino interjected, dropping a bag on the table by her bed.

Marinette stared at each of her friends in turn. “Okay, where’s Adrien and what’s he trying to hide?”

______________________________

 

“So, that’s the plan. What do you think?” Adrien tapped on the table nervously.

Master Fu sighed, and pulled the blanket on his lap tighter around his legs. “I think it is risky, Chat Noir…but I don’t believe I have a better one, with one exception.”

Adrien looked at him expectantly.

“You need to be the one to face your father. You can’t leave your teammates to do that.”

“I know that…and I want to. I can’t leave Mari unguarded though. I don’t know what he’s capable of and no one can protect her like I would.”

“I’ve taken care of Ladybug’s protection,” Master Fu replied cryptically. “Someone will be watching over her while you storm the castle.”

“You?”

Master Fu laughed but it turned into coughing. “I’m in no shape to protect anyone sadly.”

“Yeah, about that, are you feeling okay? You seem…”

“I’m dying,” the old man responded matter-of-factly. “Without Wayzz and his Miraculous, the extended years of my life are catching up to me rather quickly.”

Adrien’s eyes widened in panic. “We have to tell Nino. He’ll give it back!”

“No. I’ve made my decision. The Turtle will be needed in this battle. Nino will be a worthy holder.”

“But…”

“I’ve made peace with this. I’ve had a good, long life. I don’t regret that.”

“I’m…I’m so sorry, Master Fu.” Adrien felt his eyes prick with tears. “I don’t…I don’t really know what to say.”

Master Fu reached out a shaking hand to clap on Adrien’s arm. “There’s nothing to say, my boy. Thank you for being the Black Cat we needed. Watch over the others for me.”

____________________________

 

 **Adrien:** I need you to get away from the house for a while. Take what you need and go. Don’t say anything to my father. Don’t return until you hear from me. Things might go bad.

Nathalie read the message for the fifth time. She hadn’t responded. She didn’t know what to say. Was Adrien planning to murder Gabriel? Surely not…although plenty of people had killed for less than the young man had been through. It didn’t make sense though. Sending her this message would implicate him in a crime.

She glanced over at Gabriel. He was going through a large book of fabric swatches that had been delivered earlier but he seemed agitated. He kept looking at his watch and huffing. He rarely let himself show so much emotion. So perhaps he was expecting Adrien after all.

“Sir, I think I’ll run out for lunch if that sounds all right. Would you like me to bring you anything?”

Gabriel looked up sharply. “You don’t want the kitchen to make something?”

“I feel like getting some fresh air. I can stay if you have something you need of me though.”

Gabriel shook his head. “No, no. Go on, Nathalie. I’ll be fine until you return.”

Nathalie nodded, slipped her laptop into her bag, and headed out the door.

___________________

 

Adrien entered Marinette’s room and was confronted with three guilty faces and one angry one.

“You and I need to talk, kitty,” Marinette growled.

“I think that’s our cue to leave, dudes.” Nino stood up and leaned over Marinette, kissing her head. “Go easy on him.”

Alya squeezed her hand and Nathaniel gave her half a smile before the trio went to the door. 

“Hang around in the waiting room, if you guys don’t mind. We need to talk,” Adrien said. Alya nodded and they filed out.

Adrien took up his spot in the chair by Marinette’s bed and waited.

“So you didn’t think it was important to tell me one, that your flipping bastard of a father is our enemy in every sense of the word, two, that he has demanded you give him your ring, or three, that you are planning some big takedown?!”

“I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Well, mission failed, buddy. I am fully and truly upset,” she huffed.

“Marinette.”

“Adrien.”

Adrien ran an agitated hand through his hair. “Look, there’s nothing you need to do right now but stay in this bed and get better. How would it have helped for you to know what’s going on?”

“Because it involves you, you stupid man! It involves our friends. How could I not need to know that?”

“Marinette,” Tikki interrupted, “Adrien is trying to protect you.”

“Well, who is going to protect him?!” she shrieked. She clapped a hand over her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. 

“I will,” Plagg vowed solemnly, “with everything I’ve got.”

“This is something I have to do, Mari. This isn’t just about me and my father. This is about everyone who has ever been terrorized by Hawk Moth.” His voice lowered as he took her hand. “This is about avenging you.”

“You talk like I’m dead.”

A visible shudder ran through Adrien. “No, but for a minute, I thought you were. After the fight, in my arms, I thought you were and…and I can’t ever feel like that again. I would destroy the world before I feel like that again.”

“Don’t say things like that.”

“It’s how I feel.”

“It scares me.”

Adrien shrugged and looked down at his ring. “I asked Master Fu if he thought he made a mistake in choosing me. I’m not strong. I’m not brave. Most people have never seen me as any more than a pretty face.” He paused, rubbing his thumb along the back of Marinette’s hand. “Do you know what he told me?”

Marinette shook her head, afraid to speak.

“He said, ‘Ladybug chose you and that’s good enough for me’.”

“But…I didn’t…”

“Apparently he took your deciding to continue watching over me even when he told you it was no longer necessary as a sign.”

Marinette winced. “So you know about all that?”

Adrien nodded. “I’ll admit, it threw me at first. I was afraid…well, you know me.” He looked down at the two kwamis snuggled on the bed. “But I had some sense knocked into me.”

“I always wanted to tell you but after so long, it felt…”

“I get it.” He gave her a soft smile. “I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“I love you too, Adrien Dupain-Cheng.”

Adrien laughed. “I know you’re kidding but I like the sound of that.”

The door suddenly opened and a woman in skintight yellow and black walked in. Blonde hair flowed down her back in a ponytail and two delicate wings fell behind her like a cloak. Blue eyes assessed the pair from behind a black mask. 

Adrien stood quickly, moving to put himself between the woman and Marinette.

“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “I’m not here to hurt her so you may as well stand down, Adrikins.”

“Adrik…Chloe?!”

“You can call me Queen Bee,” she sniffed. “What, you thought you were the only one who could get super powers?”

“H-how? Why?”

“Some old guy comes up to me in a café and asks if I know Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Queen Bee stepped forward and leaned around Adrien to give Marinette a finger wave. Marinette waved a shaky hand back. “Anyway, I told him I hadn’t seen her in years and hadn’t lost any sleep over it.”

“Ah, there she is,” Marinette muttered.

“He gave me this whole speech about power and responsibility, yada yada yada, and then I find out he just wants me to babysit while some serious stuff goes down with that Hawk Moth asshole who has been turning people into monsters.”

“You’re who he chose to protect Marinette?”

“Wait, what?!” Marinette interjected. “No thanks.”

“You can’t possibly think I want to be here, Dupain-Cheng. I have much better things to do right now.”

“Chloe, maybe this isn’t the best idea…” Adrien started.

“Queen Bee, Adrikins. I thought you knew about this superhero stuff. Fu said you’re that Chat Noir guy and you’re dating Ladybug or some nonsense.” Queen Bee gave Marinette a look. “Which doesn’t explain why you’re so hung up on this one.”

“Hi. Ladybug. Nice to meet you,” Marinette deadpanned.

Queen Bee laughed and then cut herself off. “Wait. You’re not joking?”

Marinette cocked an eyebrow.

“Ugh.”

“Yeah, I’m just as thrilled,” Marinette replied flatly.

Adrien looked between them helplessly.

“Just go do whatever it is you have to do,” Queen Bee huffed. “I don’t have all day.”

“Hey,” Marinette tugged on his hand. “You better be beyond careful, do you hear me? I don’t want a single hair out of place.”

“I promise,” Adrien replied, kissing her knuckles.

“I mean it, kitty. You have to come back to me. I can’t…” Marinette’s voice broke.

“I love you too, My Lady.”

__________________________________

 

“Well, you seem to be in one piece so that went better than I thought,” Alya drawled as Adrien walked into the waiting area.

“Yeah, she’s upset but I think she gets it.”

“And how do we know she’s not going to do something stupid like try to get out of that bed and transform?” Nathaniel asked. “You two have, like, no self-preservation when it comes to each other.”

Adrien grimaced. “That’s been taken care of. Apparently Fu brought in a holder for the Bee Miraculous. She’s in the room now. She’ll protect Mari from herself and anyone else.”

“That’s good to know, I guess. Wow, so this is really happening.” Nino scratched at the top of his head. “It feels a little surreal.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Okay, Blondie, lay out your plan for us,” Alya demanded.

___________________________________

 

With an hour left until Adrien’s deadline, Gabriel was feeling impatient. Perhaps a little pressure would help speed things along nicely. He wondered if Marinette liked flowers.


	28. Chapter 28

Queen Bee paced the length of the room, agitated. 

“Do you want to sit down or something? You’re making me dizzy,” Marinette complained.

Queen Bee glared at her. “I just can’t believe you of all people are Ladybug.”

“Sorry to be such a disappointment,” Marinette replied dryly.

“Ugh, that’s so not what I mean.”

“Oh, uh, what do you mean then?”

“How in the world have you been doing this for so long? I’ve seriously been on the job for, what, three hours and I’m already stressed out. I guess I can’t believe you were a superhero when we were just stupid kids.”

“It hasn’t always been easy.”

“Why do you do it?”

Marinette studied Queen Bee. “You’re not sure this is something you want.”

“I just don’t understand why the old guy chose me. Look, you’re, like, the last person I want to admit this to but I don’t think I’m good enough to be a hero.”

“I don’t think any of us really are. I make mistakes all the time, but…I guess at the end of the day, I just try to do what is right.”

“Ugh, you even talk like a real superhero.”

Marinette laughed in surprise. “Sorry?”

Queen Bee waved her off. “It’s fine.” She dropped down into the chair by the bed. “So what did Adrien get himself into?”

“He and the others are going up against Hawk Moth,” Marinette mumbled darkly.

“I know that much, Dupain-Cheng. I guess it just surprises me is all. Adrien’s never really been a fighter.”

“I think you’ll find he’s changed over the last few months.”

“Good,” Queen Bee sniffed. “It’s about damn time.”

__________________________

 

“I want this to go as painlessly as possible,” Chat Noir stated as they huddled outside the Agreste mansion. “I go in and try to talk to him. If I can get him to hand over his Miraculous, perfect. If not, and more likely, we overwhelm him and take it by force.”

“And then what?” Paon asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I think we’re all kind of wondering what happens to Gabriel after we get the Miraculous,” Jade Turtle answered uneasily.

“Oh, uh, right.” Chat Noir scratched at his chin. “We should have a plan for that, huh?”

“Look, he’s your dad. He’s a parasite and needs to be destroyed, but he’s your dad so whatever you decide, we’ll go along with,” Vixen said. “Maybe.”

“I’m open to suggestions.”

“Throw him in a well and cover it with a really heavy rock?” Paon suggested.

“Maybe not so much that one.”

“The police, right?” Jade Turtle said. “I mean, he should pay for what he’s done but we aren’t judge, jury, and executioner.”

“Do we just call the cops and say, ‘Hey, come on over to the home of Gabriel Agreste and arrest this super powerful and famous man’?” Paon kicked at some loose gravel.

“Maybe we should regroup.”

“We can’t regroup. Time is literally up. He wants my ring and he threatened Mari.” Chat Noir’s ears flattened against his head. “Let’s just go with the original plan. We’ll figure something out along the way.”

“Well, I feel good about this,” Paon muttered.

________________________________

 

“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m looking for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Sabine looked at the old man in surprise. “Oh, she’s my daughter but she’s not here right now. Would you like me to take a message for you?”

Master Fu smiled. “I actually have these.” He slowly pulled out six envelopes. “She and some friends were helping me with my business and I wanted to say thank you.” Master Fu held out the envelopes with a quivering hand.

Sabine took them and looked over the names thoughtfully. “I’ll make sure these get to everyone. Can I offer you anything to eat or drink? Or would you like to just sit and rest?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have time for that.” Master Fu leaned in a little and Sabine met him. “Please tell Ladybug it has been a pleasure,” he smiled. “You raised an amazing young woman.”

Sabine’s eyes widened but she nodded. “Thank you. I’ll make sure she knows.”

Satisfied, Master Fu nodded and hobbled out of the bakery.

___________________________________

 

Chat Noir stalked down the hall in frustration. Where the hell was he? Gabriel hadn’t been in his office or his bedroom or the kitchen or the entertainment room. 

“Chat, talk to us, man. What’s going on?” Jade Turtle asked through his earpiece.

“He’s not here,” Chat Noir growled.

“What do you mean he’s not there? This is where you were supposed to meet him, right?” Vixen questioned.

“Yes.”

“Marinette,” Paon interjected. “He’s going after Marinette.”

“Damn it!”

_____________________________________

 

“Finally,” Queen Bee huffed as the door opened. “We’re practically starving in he—“

Gabriel Agreste closed the door behind him. He held a large bouquet of roses. “Well, how very interesting,” he said blandly, looking at Queen Bee. “You’re new.”

“And you’re old,” she snapped.

Gabriel cocked an eyebrow and moved his attention to the woman in the bed. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, how are you feeling?”

“Why are you here?” Marinette was proud of how steady her voice sounded. Tikki pressed into her side under the blanket.

“At this point, you’re almost like a daughter-in-law. It seemed only right to bring flowers.” Gabriel held the bouquet towards her but Marinette made no move to take it. “Hmmm. I suppose I can just put these over here then.” He tossed the flowers down carelessly on the counter beside the bed.

“You need to leave,” Queen Bee demanded. “Now.”

“I won’t be doing that.”

“Where is Adrien?” Marinette demanded.

“Ah, now that is the question, isn’t it? He never showed up for our little meeting. Although I must be honest, I did leave a bit early. I do hate for things to drag on.” Gabriel smiled coldly. “Perhaps he tucked tail and ran?”

“You’re such a bastard,” Queen Bee spat. 

“You have no idea. Nooroo, dark wings rise!”

Queen Bee grabbed Hawk Moth’s right arm from behind as the transformation washed over him. Quicker than seemed possible, the man spun, closing his left hand around her neck. His right arm now free from her grasp, he lifted the small woman off the ground. Queen Bee gasped in shock, clawing at the hands around her neck. 

“Let her go!” Marinette yelled, trying to sit up. “Tikki, spots on!”

Hawk Moth tossed Queen Bee aside as Ladybug transformed. The spotted heroine swung her legs over the edge to get out of the bed and stumbled to the floor with a groan. Every nerve ending seemed to light up with fire as she hit the cool tiled floor.

“Tsk, tsk, you’re supposed to be in bed, young lady.” Hawk Moth yanked Ladybug’s arm up roughly, the barely healed skin of her shoulder ripping like tissue paper under her suit. Ladybug screamed in pain. Hawk Moth tossed her back on the bed and reached for her earrings. 

Queen Bee launched herself at Hawk Moth’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She freed one of her hands and beat against the side of his cowl. Hawk Moth snapped his cane up and back, knocking Queen Bee squarely in the face. She slid off of him and slumped to the floor. 

The door burst open and three men in hospital security uniforms held up guns. “Turn around slowly with your hands on your head!”

Hawk Moth turned around with a grin. Three white butterflies suddenly appeared and alighted on each of the officers. The guns dropped down and they stood with blank expressions on their faces.

Hawk Moth picked up a sobbing Ladybug and strolled out of the room.

_______________________________

 

“Let her go. NOW!” Chat Noir growled as the four heroes cornered Hawk Moth upon his exiting the hospital.

“Adrien, how nice of you to finally arrive. I think someone had lost hope.” Hawk Moth roughly jostled the woman in his arms and Marinette let out a pained shriek.

Vixen blew into her flute and suddenly there were multiples of each of the heroes surrounding the villain and his captive. They began to move around him slowly.

“Ah, the illusionist. I think I’ll enjoy your power.” He thrust his cane forward, slashing through a fake Paon.

“Just let her go, man,” Jade Turtle pleaded. “This doesn’t have to be like this.”

“I think you’re right. Adrien, here, she’s all yours.” Hawk Moth set Marinette on her feet. The woman swayed. Chat Noir rushed to her.

“Wait, Chat, no!” Paon yelled as Hawk Moth smiled.

Dark light rushed up Marinette’s body as she was transformed. She looked like Ladybug but she wasn’t. The suit was darker and seemed to pulse with some barely contained energy. Her eyes were white behind the black mask. Her ear lobes were bare in the shining light of her skin. Instead of a yo-yo, she held a long, dark dagger. She loomed over Chat Noir as he fell at her feet.

“Mari,” he moaned in heartache, looking up at her.

“Lady Wrath, bring me their Miraculous,” Hawk Moth demanded.

Paon, Vixen, and Jade Turtle stood back in half-hearted defensive poses. Lady Wrath studied them and then folded herself down so she was face to face with Chat Noir. She tilted her head as she looked at him. 

“Mari, Marinette, please come back to me,” he begged. “Please, you can fight this.”

Her white eyes showed nothing. 

“Please,” he cried. “I love you, please.”

“I’m sorry, kitty,” she said in a hollow voice. She raised the dagger.

Chat Noir squeezed his eyes shut as his teammates tried to rush in from behind.

_____________________________________

 

It would be a shame to lose Adrien, of course, but it was something he had already come to terms with. Even if the young man somehow survived, he wouldn’t be fit for any of Gabriel’s uses anymore. He doubted Lady Wrath would leave him unscathed and without Ladybug’s Miraculous Cure, there would be no healing the damage. No one wanted to see an overweight, scarred model. Adrien would be mostly useless.

Gabriel wondered how long he could keep someone akumatized. He’d never had the opportunity to test it before. It had potential, to keep the former Ladybug as his little pet. Parade her out whenever the citizens of Paris decided to be brave. Perhaps he could even take over the others. Collect a full set as it were. A warped version of each to serve as Hawk Moth’s own personal militia. 

He smiled as he looked down to watch Lady Wrath raise her dagger, Chat Noir a pathetic mess before her. Hawk Moth’s mouth gaped open in surprise as the blade swung backwards and sunk into his side.

Lady Wrath spun, rising to her feet and twisting the blade. Her blank white eyes shone as she reached forward and ripped the Butterfly broach from Hawk Moth’s chest.

________________________________

 

Medical personnel fluttered all around them, loading an unconscious Marinette onto a stretcher and wheeling her away.

“Go,” Jade Turtle said. “We’ll take care of everything here.”

Chat Noir looked down at the limp form of his father. The dagger had disappeared along with Marinette’s sudden detransformation once she had stabbed Hawk Moth. The ash of the freed akuma still clung to Chat Noir’s palm. 

A man in scrubs was putting pressure on Gabriel’s deep side wound while a woman attached a breathing apparatus to his face. Adrien knew he should feel something but he only felt numb.

“Hey, go inside. Your transformation is going to end soon. Mari needs you,” Paon encouraged, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve got this.”

“Take care of our girl,” Vixen added. “We’ll come check in when we can.”

______________________________

 

“Excuse me,” Chloe barked. “I’m in need of some food here.” She poked at the thick bandage on her nose in irritation. “I’ve been disfigured, the least someone could do is get me the grilled chicken I ordered.”

“The kitchen will have it right up, Miss Bourgeois,” the nurse assured her with an eye roll. “Please be patient.” She swept out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

“You should really be nicer to people,” Pollen admonished. The bee kwami folded her tiny arms in front of her.

“I’m a work in progress, sue me,” Chloe sniffed, wincing at the ache in her nose. 

______________________________

 

“Hi,” Adrien said softly.

Marinette blinked a few times. “Hi,” she whispered in a cracked voice. “Are you okay?”

“I think that’s supposed to be my question.” He smoothed her bangs back. “How are you feeling?”

“Awful,” she admitted.

“Here, I can start your pain medicine again.” Adrien reached for the button by her pillow.

“Wait. Not yet. Tell me what happened.”

“Don’t worry about that now. You just need to rest.” Adrien pressed the button a couple of times and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

“But I need to know,” Marinette insisted. “You have to tell me…if…” Her eyes slide shut, breathing evening out.

“My poor Marinette,” Tikki sighed, nuzzling against her charge’s neck. The Ladybug earrings sat dark against her pale lobes. Adrien had been able to slip them back in once they had been left alone in the room and Tikki had popped out a frantic mess.

“Don’t worry, Tik, she’s going to be okay. Isn’t that right, Kid?” Plagg floated beside Adrien, nibbling on a slice of Swiss from the hospital cafeteria.

“Yeah, everything’s going to be okay now,” Adrien whispered, taking Marinette’s hand.


	29. Chapter 29

“Welcome home!” Alya squealed, shaking her half of the banner that read “Welcome home, you sexy badass!”. Nino grinned and held the other side.

“You guys,” Marinette laughed as Adrien helped her walk further into the apartment. He led her to the couch. 

“For the lady,” Nathaniel bowed with a tray of chocolate chip cookies.

Marinette giggled and took one. “Thank you, kind sir.”

“Where are you parents?”

“Parking the car,” Adrien answered. “They’ll be up in a few minutes.”

“How are you feeling?” Nino asked, carefully sitting down beside Marinette.

“A little exhausted,” she admitted. “But very happy to be home and to see you guys.” She rubbed at her shoulder delicately. “I start physical therapy tomorrow so that should be interesting.”

“Then you should drink up tonight.” Chloe shoved a champagne flute towards Marinette.

“Chlo, she isn’t supposed to have alcohol with her pain meds,” Adrien admonished.

“Oh please, one little drink isn’t going to hurt her. The girl has earned it.”

Marinette took the drink with a grin and sipped. Adrien glared at Chloe.

“Look at Mama Hen all worried,” Alya teased.

“I just think it’s important to follow the guidelines on the bottle,” Adrien huffed. “Excuse me for wanting my fiancée to get better as quickly as possible.”

“Wait. Did you just say fiancée?” 

Marinette beamed and held up her left hand to display an elegant princess cut diamond on a white gold band. 

“Dang, man, when did you have time to get that?” Nino asked, nudging Adrien’s side.

He ducked his head sheepishly. “I’ve kind of had it for over a month now. I was just waiting for the right time.”

“And apparently the right time was when I was laying in a hospital bed with no make-up, in desperate need of a shower, and only half conscious,” Marinette laughed, but leaned into him.

Adrien blushed. “I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“I am so happy for you guys!” Alya hugged her best friend’s neck. “A toast! We should have a toast.”

___________________________

 

“We’re here today to celebrate the life of Master Fu,” Marinette began. “I owe more to him than I could ever—“ her voice broke and she looked down for moment to gather herself. Adrien squeezed her shoulder. “He gave me a purpose. He gave me the strength to fight. He gave me a constant companion. He gave me a way to love.” She patted Adrien’s hand on her arm. “He always had a kind word but was ready to knock me down a peg when I needed it.”

Chuckles of agreement rose up from the small group that gathered around the modest tombstone.

“He was a great man who saw the best in us even when we couldn’t see it ourselves. He will be missed but never forgotten. To Master Fu.”

“To Master Fu!”

____________________________

 

“Has anyone read their letter yet?” Alya asked.

“I did,” Chloe threw back a shot of amber liquid. “It was inspiring and intimidating and I think I’m going to frame it.”

“Same,” Nathaniel agreed. “I mean, maybe not the framing part, but I’ll definitely be keeping it somewhere safe.”

“I’m waiting until I have a little more time to really take it in,” Nino replied. “It was thick, like, super thick. Wayzz tells me it should hold a bunch of instructions and I’m some sort of guardian or something now?” He took a long drag from his beer bottle. “Honestly at this point, I’m trying not to freak out.”

“You’ll be a fine Guardian, Master,” Wayzz assured him.

“Dude, please don’t call me that.”

“Mine was nice,” Alya said. “It’s crazy. I mean, the guy didn’t really know us, but…”

“He did though.” Marinette shifted in her seat. She still couldn’t stay in one position long without her healing injuries bothering her. “He never chose anyone on a whim. He knew exactly what he was doing when he chose you guys.”

“And you too, My Lady.”

“Yeah, M, you were Ladybug for years before we came on the scene,” Alya added. “Are we going to be cramping your style?” she winked.

“No. Actually I’m really glad you guys are a part of this. It was kind of lonely before, and I think I might need some time before Ladybug is up for much.”

“Of course!”

“Naturally.”

“Duh.”

“Hey, so, if this is uncool, you don’t have to answer, but what was it like…you know, being an akuma?” Nino asked nervously.

Marinette swallowed thickly. 

“Mari, you don’t have to—“ Adrien began.

“No. I…it’d help to talk about it, I think.” Tikki and Plagg snuggled in closer on her lap. “It was confusing at first. I don’t know if he was really in my head or if it’s part of the akuma’s power. He offered me strength and vengeance. He wanted me to be angry. I kept getting these flashes of Chat turning his back on me. I was screaming for him and he walked away.”

Adrien’s grip on her hand tightened and Marinette rubbed a thumb over his knuckels. “In hindsight, I think it all happened rather quickly, but it didn’t feel that way. I…I had to accept his power and it took over for a moment. It was almost like I got pushed to the back of my mind and some other entity was in the driver’s seat. I was still there, I could still think and feel, but I wasn’t in complete control.”

Marinette took a sip of water. “I remember feeling the knife in my hand. There was this pressure to attack Chat, but I fought against it. I couldn’t…Anyway, I could feel the akuma’s hold slipping and that’s when I pressed for control.”

“Woah.”

“Yeah, not exactly pleasant,” Marinette shuddered. 

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about that asshat anymore, no offense, Adrikins.”

“None taken, Chlo,” Adrien responded dryly.

__________________________

 

“I must admit I never expected to see you again,” Gabriel said in greeting. Even in a jumpsuit behind a pane of security glass, he was the perfect picture of formal control.

“I’m a little surprised myself,” Adrien replied. “But I needed to come.”

“Ah, yes, is this about the company? By now things should be moving into your name unless the board has voted against you.”

“No, they approved me. I’ve begun the first stages of rebranding. By the end of the year, Gabriel will no longer exist.”

“How very poetic,” Gabriel said dryly. “Is that all you wanted to tell me, that you’ve taken my legacy?”

“No. I suppose I would like to know why.”

“Why?”

“Why did you do this? What was the point of becoming Hawk Moth?” Adrien asked earnestly. “You had everything. Fame, money, prestige…I need to know why.”

“Power,” Gabriel answered simply.

“You had power.”

“Not enough.”

“How much power did you possibly need?”

Gabriel studied his son. “That you ask that question shows me you could never understand. The weak never do.”

“I’m not weak,” Adrien growled. “Not anymore.”

“Because of your little ring?”

“Because I got away from you.”

“I never made you weak, Adrien. You allowed yourself to be weak, to be used. Your mother was the same way. People like you are fodder for people like me.”

“How are you so heartless even now? You’ll never get out of here. You know that, right? You will die in this prison.”

“Perhaps,” Gabriel drawled. 

“And that doesn’t bother you? I don’t understand.” Adrien shook his head.

Gabriel steepled his fingers and leaned forward. “Ah, so that’s the real reason for this visit. You don’t understand your dear old dad. Sorry to burst your bubble, Adrien, but I have nothing to explain to you. There is no tragic backstory, no possible redemption arc. I did what I pleased and I used who I wanted to because I could and there is nothing deeper than that.”

Adrien sat back in the uncomfortable plastic chair at a loss. 

Gabriel watched him, a smile tugging at his lips. “Unsatisfying, isn’t it? Sorry, but you aren’t going to find some heartwarming resolution here. That’s not in the cards for us.”

Adrien took a deep breath and stood. “Goodbye, Gabriel. I hope you find some peace in here.”

“Goodbye, Saint Adrien. I hope you spend the rest of your life guilty and unsuccessful.”

_______________________________

 

“Oh, honey,” Alya called out, “I’m home!”

Nino popped his head out of the kitchen. “Hey, babe! Dinner should be ready in ten or so.”

Alya dropped off her laptop bag and slipped out of her heels. She entered the small kitchen and smiled. “Well, doesn’t my little homemaker look pretty as a picture?”

Nino grinned and fanned out his apron. “All for you, Moneybags.”

Alya grabbed the straps of the apron and pulled him towards her. “Don’t you forget it,” she teased as she kissed him. “How was your day?”

“Excellent actually. That studio called me back about the technician job. They want me to do a test remix on a album next week.”

“Master has been in quite the fit about it all day,” Wayzz interjected. “He’s hardly sat still.”

“Wow, way to call me out, dude.”

“Aww, be nice to the man, Wayzz. I think this is great news, sweets.” Trixx nuzzled Nino’s cheek.

“I’m really proud of you.” Alya kissed him again. “Oh! I have good news too! Remember that new tech assignment I was really hoping for?”

“You got it?!”

“I got it! We’re going to be spending three weeks traveling to Japan, China, the States, and wherever the hell else they want to send me because I totally rock this job!”

“Yeah, you do!” Nino high-fived his girlfriend.

“And now I kind of want to rock something else.” Alya pulled Nino close and pressed her hips against his.

“Oh yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” Alya confirmed, curling her tongue behind her teeth.

“Okay, I just need to take the meatloaf out of the oven in, like, five minutes and change a load of clothes over from the washer to the dryer.”

Alya walked two fingers up his chest. “How about you do that and I’ll go get comfortable?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Alya turned to head to their bedroom. She paused and looked back at him. “Oh, and Nino, keep the apron on.”

Nino felt his cheeks warm. “Yes ma’am.”

___________________________________

 

“Man, this look perfect.” Adrien stepped back from the large canvas.

“I’m pretty sure that wasn’t your reaction the first time you saw it,” Nathaniel drawled.

“In my defense, the first time I saw it, you were trying to hit on my girlfriend.”

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “You really like it?”

“Of course I do. This will be the first thing people see when they walk into the building. It will set the tone of the whole company.”

“It definitely makes a statement,” Nathaniel agreed.

“So, I’m going to need, I don’t know, seven or eight more pieces along these same lines. We can talk payment with Nathalie since she’s a ton better at getting the payroll stuff situated than me. I’m thinking twice as much as we paid for this one for each new piece?”

Nathaniel stepped back from him. “Adrien, you can’t pay me that much, man. This is not worth it.” He gestured at the large painting.

“I think it is worth it. Actually we can just go ahead and get you on a set payroll. I think I’d like you to do all the set design for the winter show if you’re willing.”

“Why?”

“You’re talented and you’re one of my best friends. Do I need another reason?”

“You think I’m your best friend?”

Adrien grinned at him. “You might be stuck with me.”

“Just my luck,” Nathaniel smiled back. “Also, I don’t know that your reasoning makes for good business practice.”

“Ah, well, that can be our little secret.” The men stood back and looked at the painting. “Beauty, not death. It’s got a nice ring to it,” Adrien said. 

____________________________________

 

“As far as colors go, I look really good in white,” Chloe said, running her hand over a bolt of satin. “In fact, I should definitely wear white.”

“You cannot wear white at Mari’s wedding, you doofus,” Alya argued. “Marinette, tell her she can’t wear white.”

“Chloe, I was actually thinking you’d look gorgeous in a warm pink.” Marinette pulled out a bolt of fabric and held it up to the blonde. “See? It complements your skin tone ridiculously well.”

“Obviously you’re right. Now, about the cut…”

Alya rolled her eyes at Marinette as they continued searching through the fabrics.

“I’m thinking about a soft green for you, Al, maybe something close to a sage.”

“Turtle Man will like that.”

“I thought he might,” Marinette smiled. 

“Hey, so, uh, did I tell you guys that a little girl asked for my autograph?” Chloe asked. She ran her fingers along some lace. “It was pretty cool.”

“That is really cool,” Marinette replied. “Did she say anything to you?”

Chloe looked up. “Yeah, she said I was her favorite hero. She had these cute blonde pigtails and she said she wanted to be me when she grows up.”

“That’s adorable.”

“It really was,” Chloe said absently. “I guess it was neat for someone to recognize what I do, even if it was a little kid.”

“I don’t know, I think I’d say especially if it was a little kid.”

“Hmmmm.”

_______________________________

 

“Nathalie, have you heard back from our bead guy in China. We need to get those pieces done, like, yesterday,” Adrien flipped through a large catalogue on his desk. “And, crap, there’s something I’m forgetting that needed to get done today.”

Nathalie tried to keep a straight face as she handed him her tablet. “If you can approve these, I’ll get them sent out today. The bead shipment should be here day after tomorrow, and you wanted me to remind you to work on your wedding vows.”

Adrien popped himself in the forehead. “Damn it. Okay, this is fine. I can do this.”

“I think so too, sir.”

“I’ve asked you not to call me that.”

“Sorry,” Nathalie smiled, “Adrien.”

He grinned back at her. “Thanks.”

“Marinette called and had to cancel lunch. Apparently something came up.”

Adrien frowned. “Oh.”

“However, she did say that she found a replacement and you are still, and this a direct quote, ‘expected to eat today, you silly, beautiful, busy man’ end quote.”

“Yeah, that sounds like her.”

“You need to leave in ten minutes to make it in time.”

“Remind me in five?”

“As you wish, si—Adrien.”

“Thanks, Nat.”

___________________________________

 

“You’re late,” Chloe complained.

“So you’re Mari’s replacement?” Adrien grinned.

“As if. I’m no one’s replacement. You should have been having lunch with me to begin with.”

“Ah, you’re right. Please forgive me.”

“I’ll think about it,” she sniffed. “Tell me how things are going at work.”

“Uh, they’re going.” Adrien opened his menu. “I’m almost drowning but Nathalie keeps throwing me a rope. I guess I never realized just how much he did.”

“He was a bastard but he ran a tight ship.”

“Yeah.” Adrien let his menu drop to the table. “I’m not actually sure I can do this.”

“Order lunch? It’s really not that hard, Adrikins.”

“Chloe.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I made a mistake thinking I could change Gabriel into something else. We’ve lost partners, our winter show numbers are projected at an all-time low, some stores have pulled contracts with the company. I’m afraid I’m running it into the ground.”

“So what if you run it into the ground? You never cared about the business anyway.”

“I do now,” Adrien insisted. “I’m trying to make into something new.”

“So I heard. Chengreste, really? That’s so…so…” Chloe looked at Adrien big green eyes. “Ugh, it’s just so naturally you, isn’t it? You’ve always been as sappy as they come.”

“Marinette doesn’t like the name either,” Adrien grumbled.

“I thought she was smarter than she looked, and this proves it.”

Adrien stuck his tongue out at her. “What about you? Have you given any thought to my offer?”

“I have and I still say no. I don’t have to work and I don’t want to. It’s as simple as that. Besides, my other job keeps my plenty busy.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. Queen Bee has made quite the name for herself.”

“Some of us don’t see being a hero of Paris as just a part-time job.” Chloe looked down her nose at him and winked.

___________________________________

 

“Okay, walk to the wall and let me see,” Marinette commanded.

Circe nodded and strutted down the makeshift runway. Marinette leaned against her cane, watching intently. 

“There’s just something about the way that hem is falling that I don’t like,” she muttered.

“Yeah. It almost seemed to pull up too much by the time I got to the end,” Circe agreed.

“Hmmm, maybe we need a heavier material. Okay, go change into the next one.”

“Hey, before I forget,” Circe walked over to the work table and grabbed a small package from her bag. “I’m going to be out of town for the wedding but I wanted to make sure you and Adrien got this.”

Marinette took the wrapped box. “You didn’t need to—“

“Look, Adrien really came through for me, for all of us, and I know a lot of that had to do with you. I know you guys are getting a lot of crap in the industry for this new ‘every body is beautiful’ campaign but I wanted you to know that we’re all behind you a hundred percent.”

“That really means a lot, Circe. Thank you.”

______________________________

 

“I’m too tired to go back out,” Adrien grumbled into the comforter. 

“You promised you wouldn’t cancel this time,” Marinette reminded him as she ran a mascara wand up her lashes.

“Morning Adrien with a cup of coffee in his system promised that. After Work Adrien thinks Morning Adrien doesn’t make good decisions.”

“Be that as it may, you promised so you are going out, kitty.”

“But—“

“Nope.”

“I should probably work on—“

“Uh-uh.”

“Hey, who are you getting so dolled up for anyway?” Adrien pushed himself up from the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You got a hot date?”

“Maybe,” she grinned.

“Anyone I know?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Are you still too tired to go out?”

Adrien spun her so they both faced the mirror. He rested his chin on her shoulder from behind. “I think I could be persuaded into a little more energy.”

“Good because I was going to drag you out of here no matter what. You need a break.”

“How did I ever get so lucky to get you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

Marinette smiled at his reflection. “I’m pretty sure I’m the lucky one, Adrien Agreste.”

He nuzzled her cheek. “Do we maybe have time for us to both get lucky?”

Marinette made a show of tapping her chin to think. “Possibly.” She stepped back from him with a playful grin and moved towards the bed. “Come on, kitty. Catch me if you can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? I'm a sucker for a sappy ending. :)
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who read, enjoyed, and/or commented on this story. I really enjoyed writing it and hearing your thoughts. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr: seasonofthegeek for chapter updates and character sketches :)


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